KuruRii Memoir
by ShinyCDiver
Summary: This is just a collection of KuruRii (Kurumi x Yuuri moments), nothing more, nothing less. It will be updated infrequently, since these were written before there was a tag for Gakkou Gurashi. They were written for chi2lyn originally, which means that author is technically my beta reader for this collection (maybe) and is the reason why updates will be at random. Anyways, enjoy! :D
1. Chapter 1

**Let's start off with some simple and normal KuruRii, in the high school.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Gakkou Gurashi**

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Kurumi felt like dying. Not from any physical stress or environmental factors, but she didn't feel like she could continue under the mental pressure placed upon her mind. It was far too much for her to comprehend, not that she would ever allow herself to admit weakness. Especially not in this field.

"Please tell me you have the answer for this question. You've been staring at it for almost three minutes now, Kurumi." She could feel a cold sweat breaking out on her skin. She had never felt so nervous before in her life, except maybe when she tried to confess to the track-and-field senpai. No, she corrected herself. This fear was far worse than trying to confess to him. "Ku-ru-mi? Are you even listening?"

Quick, she thought. She needed to respond before she dug herself deeper in the grave. "Japan."

"Kurumi, we're working on a math question." A sigh followed the deadpan response. She was hit lightly on the head with a rolled up text-book. The same textbook as she was currently using to study.

"…50." She tried again.

"Are you even looking at the question?" She shook her head and glanced downward at the open textbook. The numbers seemed to be written in another language, and she couldn't understand what she was supposed to be doing with the equation presented to her.

"Why do I have to do this anyway?! It's not like we need math right now!" Kurumi pushed away from the desk with the offending math problems. Her chair, knocked off balance by her momentum, clattered to the floor among the other desks and chairs. There was no one else in the classroom except for them, nor would there ever be more than four students using the classroom ever again. She stayed standing, even when Yuuri went to pick up the chair she pushed aside. Her emotions got the better of her again; her irritation with math giving way to sinking despair at the disappointment in Yuuri's gaze. Get mad at me. Get angry. Don't just look at me with those eyes. Say something. But her education was worth more in Yuuri's eyes, and slowly she sunk back down in her seat, defeated by a force she couldn't quite comprehend.

Her mind completely drained, Kurumi did nothing but stare at the broken window. Her textbook was now covered in red, where she had attempted the problem presented, made mistakes, and gotten corrected by Yuuri.

"Good work…is what I would like to say but...there wasn't much improvement from before we started." She ignored the stabbing remark, feeling like she should at least be given some credit for sticking through the irritating mess of math.

"I hate math. Worse than cleaning up after Yuki." She muttered, unhappy from the lack of affection she received the entire time she suffered. Yuuri stood up and arranged their books in a neat pile. Kurumi had no interest in helping her clean up, given her horrible mood. She resolved never to let Yuuri suck her into another day of studying, which was the same thing she resolved the last time it had happened. And the time before that.

Now Yuuri was blocking her view of the window. Reluctantly, Kurumi lowered her eyes, not wanting to get in trouble for staring. She felt the other's light touch on her forehead, moving her bangs aside. Was she going to do the all-feared forehead flick as punishment for her inability to solve most of the problems? Kurumi shut her eyes, fearing the worst. No pain came, and the sensation was of another light touch, but not by Yuuri's hand.

"Don't sulk just because you had to study." And now she couldn't see, her face pressed into something soft and fluffy. Maybe Yuuri wasn't aware of what she was doing, but Kurumi's mind was melting in another way. And this one, she approved of.

"Hey, maybe next time if you gave me more kisses, I'd do better." Kurumi teased as she happily followed Yuuri from the empty classroom.

"Statistically, you wouldn't do better even with a reward." She pouted, upset again. "But maybe I'll consider it. Now what do you want for dinner?"

"Ginger soy beef!"

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 **This one was rather short. The next ones will be a bit longer.**


	2. Chapter 2

**And some are going to be the chibi portion of the collection, starring Kurumi and Yuuri from anywhere in the age range 5-13 years old.**

 **It's not Halloween, or anywhere close, but this was written when it was Halloween, so hope you enjoy it anyway! (Run-on sentence is run-on.)**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Gakkou Gurashi.**

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"I'm gonna get so much candy tonight, It'll pile up like a mountain!" Kurumi told her childhood friend excitedly as the two walked home from elementary school together.

"Eating that much will lead to cavities, won't it?" Yuuri asked. Kurumi flinched; she hated having to go to the dentist to deal with her cavities. It always hurt, even when the stupid man told her it wouldn't.

"I-I didn't say I was going to eat it all at once!" She scoffed. "Only idiots do that!"

"Okay then." Kurumi pouted, though she kept it to herself so that Yuuri wouldn't notice. Her attempt at trying to impress her friend had failed again. She'd never seen anyone get that much candy anyway. "I have to go home today, so I'll see you later, okay Kurumi?"

"Huh? Oh yeah. Later." Yuuri waved and turned the corner in the direction of her house. Kurumi continued in the same direction, deep in thought.

~Later that night~

"If you have to follow me, do it from three-no, five feet away! Five feet, I say!" Kurumi shouted, pointing her wooden sword at her father, already getting into character. She had chosen this costume especially to match with Yuuri's, which she had learned about a couple weeks ago. Dressed in a boy's yukata and toting a wooden sword, she would mimic the mannerisms and actions of the ancient Japanese warrior. Her normal pigtailed hairstyle was put aside for the single ponytail that hung down her back.

"All right, all right." Her father said with a bit of a laugh. "Daddy'll keep a distance from you." Kurumi nodded solemnly and marched towards the doorway. Yuuri would be arriving any moment and she wanted to be ready for her when she came.

"Thanks ahead of time for volunteering to watch both of them trick-or-treat." Yuuri's mom and Kurumi's dad were talking but Kurumi only had eyes for her friend. Yuuri was in a pink and red kimono, her dark hair flowing beautifully down her back. She did a little twirl and bowed.

"…you know, keeping your mouth open like that will let bugs in." Kurumi shut her mouth. Her mind returned and she knelt, remembering her role.

"This humble warrior begs your forgiveness, Lady Kaguya!" She shouted, feeling a bit embarrassed after saying the line.

"Hm~ Then I shall forgive you, I suppose." Yuuri winked. "Is this a game or something, Kurumi?"

"I-I guess you can call it that…" Kurumi scratched her head awkwardly. "It's a…a play! Yeah, that's it! Since we're in costume, we should pretend to be like our characters! Don't you agree?"

"Okay~ Since it sounds fun, I'll play too!" Kurumi cheered on the inside but kept a simple smile on her face. Their parents looked on, smiling with slight amusement at their children.

The plan for the night was to go around their neighborhood and nearby shopping center to collect as much candy as they could before dropping Yuuri off at her home. Kurumi reluctantly agreed to walk with her dad back to their own house once Yuuri was safe in her house, but for now it was just her and her friend. And her dad who was keeping his distance from them but she ignored him.

"Trick-or-treat!" The two chorused at the first house they came across. An elderly woman smiled and held out a piece of chocolate for each of them.

"Wait, Lady Kaguya! I must ensure that no harm will come to you if you accept this piece of sugary goodness! No offense, kind madam." Kurumi bowed to the lady who had given them the chocolate and examined the candy thoroughly before handing one to Yuuri, who dropped it into her bag.

"Oh my, what a wonderful guard you have, Lady Kaguya." The older woman said, amused by the children's act.

"Of course. She's the very best I have. Thank you, kind madam." Yuuri bowed, barely able to keep herself from giggling. Kurumi saw this and smiled goofily.

The next house they went to was handing out bags of pretzels instead of candy. It was a young couple that was handing out the treats to the passerby and so they repeated their act of servant and princess.

"Be wary, Lady Kaguya, for there stands a might beast that my sword may not be swift enough to fend off. No offense, good sir, this is a mere play." For the husband was in a wolf costume, and his wife playing the part of Little Red Riding Hood.

"Oh my. Sir, I do beg your pardon. May we partake some of your treats? If not, I'm afraid my knight will have reason to draw her sword." Yuuri bowed.

"Such well-mannered children!" The woman exclaimed, handing both a bag of pretzels.

"No offense taken, young warrior who guards her princess." The man smiled warmly and waved to them as they left his yard. They waved back and grinned at each other as they moved to the next house. Their act was perfect so far.

"And who might the two of you be?" The owner of the next house, a middle-aged old man with a grumpy look, seemed to glare at them from his doorway. Kurumi looked at Yuuri, who was clearly intimidated by the man. This was her chance to impress her.

"This is Lady Kaguya, Princess of the Moon. I am but a nameless and humble warrior, sworn to protect my lady. I beseech you, good sir, to provide us with some nourishment that we may take on our journey." Kurumi knelt, her head lowered.

"Well…if you put it that way…" The middle-aged man scratched his head and went to get the candy bowl. "Take what you want."

"Thank you, kind sir!" Kurumi selected a chocolate for herself and one for Yuuri.

"Thank you!" Yuuri echoed, bowing. The man waved a dismissive hand and went back inside the house, shutting the door behind him. They made their way down his front path and out onto the streets again.

"That was so cool, Kurumi! He scared me but you were so confident!" Now it was Kurumi's turn to scratch her head as she blushed.

"It was nothing much." She stated. "Look, that house has its lights on too! Let's go there next!"

"Okay, Kurumi!"

Repeating the act of guard and princess, they were well-received by most of the people handing out treats. Most of the homes they visited remarked on their manners or on how cute the two of them were by working as a pair rather than competing for the best candy they could get. Now it was time for the big haul-going into the shopping center and hitting as many of the shops they could.

"Let us make haste, Lady Kaguya. The night is short, yet our journey is far from over. Thank you for having us, kind sir." The sales clerk stared after them, wide-eyed by the extreme politeness they had treated him with. Outside the store, Kurumi mimicked his expression, though he couldn't see it from his position, and Yuuri laughed. Kurumi watched her happily, more than content with just being with her on Halloween night.

The next shop they visited was a clothing store. All the clerks working there were in costume and they greeted the children warmly, immediately offering them candy.

"Take as much as you want, little girls!" One of them said, offering the bowl of candy while the other workers chattered about how cute they looked. Yuuri blushed, murmuring a small thank you. Kurumi scowled and drew her sword.

"This is a play. Back away, sirens! Do not plague my lady with your cries and corrupt her purity with your words!" Kurumi shouted. "Stay behind me, Lady Kaguya. I will deal with them personally."

"May your sword be swift, my warrior." Yuuri whispered, ducking behind Kurumi to hide her face. With a scowl still on her face, Kurumi strode forward, took two pieces of candy, and backed away.

"Know your place before the Lady Kaguya! Do not approach us again in such a manner or my sword will taste of your blood." Kurumi sheathed her sword and led Yuuri away just as the chatter broke out again.

"Their acting was so cute!" "The warrior protecting her princess was so sweet!"

They were met in a similar manner in the arcade, with the prize table worker oozing adorations for Yuuri's costume. Once again, Kurumi unsheathed her sword.

"No offense is intended. One who grovels himself before a lady is worse than the dirt he places himself upon! Do not taint my lady any further with your misguided words!"

"What's your problem, warrior kid? I'm just paying her a few compliments. Big deal." Even when declaring insults, she had at least given a warning beforehand that there was no meaning behind what she said. But this guy was irritating her because he was scaring Yuuri. She was the guard who protected the princess, and he was getting in the way. She dragged a chair over from one of the games and got onto it.

"Those who dare approach Lady Kaguya will be dealt with by her guard!" She pointed the sword right at his face. "Give us treats and promise never to speak to her in such a manner again or I shall not hesitate to give you a scar worthy of a true man!"

"Weirdos." The clerk muttered, shoving the bowl of candy at them. Behind him, the manager had been watching the whole exchange, starting from when he had been throwing pointless compliments at Yuuri.

"A true warrior knows her place and retreats from a battle that is not her fight." Kurumi climbed down and put the chair away. Then she held Yuuri's hand as the guy got lectured by his manager. The two of them left with a stuffed animal each in addition to the candy that had been their original goal.

"Kurumi…wearing this and acting like we are is scary…people are going to hate us…" Yuuri was crying now as they continued walking.

"No they won't! Didn't you hear the people earlier? They thought we were cute! It's only that idiot who didn't listen when I said it was a play that got mad at us! Nothing's going to happen, okay?"

"Okay…but I wanna go home soon…"

"One more shop and I'll take you home." Yuuri nodded and followed Kurumi to the next stop.

"Aw…what happened dear?" The owner of the family-run bakery asked that as soon as they approached because of Yuuri's tears.

"Some guy got mad at me because we were doing an act. Even though I told him it was going to be an act." Kurumi muttered. "He was bothering my friend so I yelled at him through the act. Now she's worried so I'm not acting anymore."

"Trick or-" Yuuri hiccupped. "…treat…"

"Yes, I will give you candy. But first, I wish to see your act, if you please." Kurumi looked worriedly at Yuuri, who shook her head.

"She doesn't want to. I will act in her place, if that is okay."

"Of course, dear. Let me see it."

"This is an act with no offense intended. Thank you, kind madam, for letting us impose on your business like this when my lady is not feeling well. Your kindness is most uplifting for us who have just undergone a horrid trial." Kurumi knelt as she spoke.

"Such an honorable warrior!" The lady gasped.

"Not as much as you, kind madam. Lady Kaguya is most distressed right now, and I feel like I cannot be of much help to improve her condition. You, on the other hand, have provided us with a listening ear to our troubles, which is more than we can ever repay you for."

"Oh my. You praise me too much. I haven't done a thing!"

"Such modesty on your part is a great virtue. Nevertheless, I thank you for the food you have given us, as it will no doubt rekindle the warm fire of hope within our hearts that not all people are as harrowing as the last place we tried to visit."

"Yes, this is certainly not like the last place we visited. There it was cold and unwelcoming. But here, here there be those willing to lend aid to ones in need. Truly, thank you." Yuuri bowed, the last of her tears falling away as she smiled brightly for the woman.

"Thank you, kind madam! You have brought back the lovely princess I feared had been lost. Your kindness will not be forgotten, even though we must leave this place now and continue our journey." The woman clapped for their performance, as did the customers who were still in the bakery. The two looked at each other and grinned sheepishly. They gave a final bow and left the bakery, waving to the adults within.

"We got quite a lot this year." Kurumi said happily. "Candy and a stuffed animal!"

"Yeah, but it was also a lot more scary. If we didn't act, then no one would have gotten mad at us." Yuuri fretted.

"It's over already! Don't worry about it anymore!" Kurumi said reassuringly. "I think I was pretty cool!" They had reached Yuuri's house, where they had to part ways. "Yes, and I think such a brave and honorable warrior should be rewarded." Kurumi drew a blank as Yuuri turned to her. "Kneel, my warrior."

"My lady." Kurumi knelt on one knee, still looking up to Yuuri's face. Yuuri leaned forward and kissed Kurumi on the forehead.

"See you tomorrow, Kurumi!" Kurumi weakly raised a hand to wave at her friend before she disappeared into the house. Her hand then traveled to the place where she had been kissed, remembering the shock she had felt when Yuuri did the act.

"See you tomorrow…Rii-san." Kurumi grinned and ran to find her dad so they could go home as well.

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 **Tbh, I had so much fun writing this.**


	3. Chapter 3

**I had just done a Halloween one, so I thought 'Why not do a festival too?' and this was born. Still chibi.**

 **Disclaimer: Still don't own it.**

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"There are so many stalls! The food! The games! The food! I'm gonna eat lots!" Kurumi was very excited for the night festival she was attending with her friend (and her dad, though she didn't count him).

"Eating too much will make you fat." Yuuri pointed out.

"Eh, it'll be fine!" Kurumi grinned. "I run around a lot so there's no way I'd get fat!"

"But not tonight, okay? If you run, I won't be able to keep up." Yuuri was wearing a yukata for the festival. It was purple in color, with butterflies delicately inked in varying pink shades. She was also wearing wooden sandals, which was the main reason she wouldn't be able to run as quickly as she normally did. However, her long brown hair was tied into a single ponytail with a plain-looking hairband, contrasting with the grace of her outfit.

"That's why you should've dressed like me!" Kurumi had opted not to wear the traditional yukata like her father wanted but instead had gone for her normal out-of-school clothes. This meant a t-shirt, shorts, and running shoes, though she had added a jacket to her outfit since it would be a bit cold at night. The only thing that she had agreed to was switching from pigtails to a ponytail that was held in place by a red ribbon attacked to an ornamental flower. "But I'll stay with you. Let's hold hands so you can stop me if I'm going too fast!"

Yuuri nodded happily and took hold of Kurumi's hand. "Don't let go."

"I won't ever let go. Promise." Kurumi was still smiling sincerely. "Now let's eat!"

"So you were still thinking about food huh?" Yuuri sighed.

So Yuuri spent the first half hour sitting on a bench with Kurumi while the other girl ate her way through two servings of yakisoba and a plate of takoyaki. She honestly had no idea how Kurumi was able to eat so much and still want more without suffering a stomach ache.

"Let's see…I wanna eat some sweet stuff but that can wait for later. Let's play some of the games!" Keeping her promise to hold hands, Kurumi ended up practically dragging Yuuri behind her to one of the stalls. "Watch me, I'll catch a goldfish for you!"

"But I don't even have a goldfish bowl, or even know how to take care of one!" Yuuri protested.

"That's fine! I'll get you one and teach you how to take care of it! Now watch!" Kurumi raised the paper thin scoop given to her by the stand owner. "This is an ancient technique that I learned from my father's mother's granddaughter!"

"You mean…you learned it from yourself?" But Kurumi wasn't listening anymore. She gave a battle cry and dipped the scoop into the water. The paper ripped and the goldfish that she had tried to scoop up fell back into the water with a splash. "You know, I don't really need a goldfish. We can go do something else…"

"I refuse to lose to this! I'm staking my pride on getting you a goldfish!" Kurumi pointed the broken scoop at the stand owner. "I'm playing another round! Give me another scoop!" Yuuri sighed. She got the feeling that they would be at this stand for a while until Kurumi gave up or succeeded in getting a goldfish.

After spending a lot more money than she needed, Kurumi handed Yuuri a clear plastic bag with a small goldfish swimming in it. "See? Told you I'd get one."

"Thanks, I guess?" Yuuri held the bag up to her eye level to get a better look at the fish. "It is pretty cute….somewhat."

"HE has a name already. I call him Arnault!"

"…shouldn't I get to name my own pet?" Kurumi looked at her in confusion.

"Something wrong?"

"No. It's a good name. Arnault-san." Yuuri smiled at Kurumi. "Thanks."

"Of course! It's my technique after all!" Kurumi grinned triumphantly.

"So you're stopping the 'father's mother's granddaughter' thing?"

"I thought it sounded cool. Oh, look! A yo-yo balloon stand! Watch me, Rii-san! I'll get you one of these too!" Kurumi took Yuuri's free hand and dragged her over to the other stand, eager to get started. Yuuri felt as if she was going to have to stand and watch Kurumi try and fail to get a prize on her first try. And it would be a while before she actually did manage to get a balloon. Which meant that she would have to wait a few minutes without doing anything while Kurumi continued to "battle for her pride", in her words. Not that Yuuri particularly cared. She was happy just to be by Kurumi's side, but that wasn't enough for her materialistic friend. It was just like Halloween, where she would have been content to go trick-or-treating without the acting if it meant going with Kurumi. But she knew better by now. Doing anything with Kurumi meant getting dragged into fun but often pointless antics. Like trying to get a balloon, except Kurumi was on her third try with no success so far.

"I got one! No need to thank me!" Kurumi hung the balloon on the same hand that she was using to hold the goldfish.

"I can't use the yo-yo balloon if it's on the same hand as Arnault-san."

"Yeah, but if I put it on the other hand, we can't hold hands anymore. So you're going to have to deal with it. How much do you wanna bet that I can hit a target with a gun?"

"Nothing. But I bet I can hit one before you do." Yuuri said, challenging Kurumi.

"Oh, you're on!" And so they proceeded to yet another stand.

"It's heavy…" Yuuri complained, struggling to hold the gun up despite using both hands. She had left both her balloon and her new pet on the counter next to her just to try and aim the weapon.

"You need to exercise some more, Rii-san!" Kurumi lifted the gun with ease-though she still used two hands for it-and peered at the prizes she could win. "I'll win this for sure!" Taking aim at a small animal doll, Kurumi checked and double-checked her target before pressing the trigger. She missed, the recoil that came from shooting the gun was more than she had expected so her aim went wild.

"…my turn." Yuuri, who had observed the gun's recoil in Kurumi's hands, felt even less confident in her ability to use the weapon properly. Still, she was better at perceiving the best angle at which to hit the target, which was also the small animal doll Kurumi had aimed for. If she could adjust her grip on the gun to accommodate for the expected recoil, she should be able to hit the prize. Yuuri tightened her hold on the gun and pulled the trigger. The prize fell over. She had won. Kurumi stared at her with shock when the stand owner handed her the doll. "See? I told you I could hit a target before you. And here. It's yours now."

"I don't need it though." Kurumi complained as Yuuri put the prize in her hands.

"Then explain these." Yuuri gestured at the prizes Kurumi had won for her.

"That's different. Because they're for you."

"And that prize is for you."

"But I don't need it."

"And I-ugh, never mind. Let's just stop playing for now."

"And eat?" Kurumi asked.

"…we can go eat." Yuuri was beginning to get a bit hungry. Unlike Kurumi, she had eaten a reasonable dinner prior to coming to the festival, but she wouldn't object to a few sweets.

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 **It may seem incomplete, but I swear this one is finished.**


	4. Chapter 4

**The theme this time around is...something to do with studying and snow. And rubber ducks. I think.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Gakkou Gurashi.**

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"It's getting late…I should go home soon." Yuuri glanced at the clock and back at Kurumi, who was sitting across from her at the kotatsu. She had come over to supposedly give Kurumi help on her homework but they hadn't gotten much done in the time she spent there.

"I guess so. I'll walk you to the front door." Kurumi got up from her seat and shivered almost immediately. She followed Yuuri down the staircase to the front door and watched as her friend tugged on the heavy winter coat. "Can you come again tomorrow?"

"Do you promise not to slack off and read manga when you say you're studying?" Kurumi smiled sheepishly and shrugged. "Okay, fine. I'll come over. But please try to focus on your homework if I do."

"Okay~" Yuuri opened the front door to Kurumi's house. As the cold winter wind rushed in, both realized that there would be no way for her to get home in this weather.

"I'm only staying over because there's a blizzard." Yuuri reminded Kurumi for what must have been the fifth time in a row. Kurumi's father had called Yuuri's mother and she agreed that sending Yuuri home in this weather condition would not be a great idea so she was spending the night in Kurumi's bedroom.

"I get it. Do you want the camouflage pajamas or the regular ones?" Kurumi asked as she dug through her wardrobe. "You can borrow my panties if you want too."

"Regular ones please. And no thanks."

"They're clean."

"That's not why I don't want them."

"Okay then. Suit yourself." Kurumi pulled out two sets of pajamas. One was a light blue with darker blue stripes and the other was light green with white dots on it.

"How is either one 'camouflage'?" Yuuri asked, examining both sets.

"This one-" Kurumi held up the blue set. "-blends in with my parent's blanket. So it's camouflage." Yuuri sighed.

"That's not what most people would think of as camouflage." She said, taking the green pajamas. Kurumi looked confused.

"Isn't camouflage something that makes it harder to see? Like invisibility or something?"

"Yeah, but most people wouldn't think of blending in to a blanket as camouflage."

"…I don't get it. Let's go take a bath." Kurumi trotted off, leaving Yuuri no choice but to follow.

"So why are we in the bath together?" Yuuri blushed and looked at anywhere but at Kurumi.

"To save water and it's faster if we take one together. It's okay since we're both girls." Kurumi responded, making soft quacking noises as she pushed a rubber ducky across the water.

"You still play with toys in the bath?"

"It's something to pass the time. Don't you?"

"Not really…I like sitting and thinking about things. It's relaxing."

"Is that so?" Kurumi released the duck and sunk into the water a bit. Yuuri watched with a bit of curiosity, since she had no idea what Kurumi was thinking. After a few seconds, Kurumi sat straight up again. "Nope, I don't get it. Thinking hurts my head. I'd rather play with the duck." She prodded the ducky to Yuuri. "You try it."

"Eh? Do I have to?" The thought of playing with a toy like she was a little kid seemed embarrassing to her. But the way that Kurumi was looking at her so determinedly that she took hold of the toy reluctantly and made a quacking sound.

"You don't do a good duck impression." Kurumi looked disappointed. Yuuri sighed and poked the ducky back at her friend.

"You play. I'm getting out." Yuuri made to stand up.

"Then I'm getting out too!" Kurumi stood up more swiftly than she did and Yuuri got a full look at her friend for the first time. She grabbed the side of the tub to prevent herself from falling face-first into it and took deep breaths to calm herself down. "Aren't you coming, Rii-san?"

"Y-yes…I'm coming." Slowly, she stood up and got out of the bath. Kurumi came back over with a towel on her head to release the drain. Yuuri tried hard to focus on the towel and not the rest of her friend as she went to get her own towel.

"Your hair's so soft and silky, Rii-san." Kurumi said as she helped blow-dry her friend's hair. Yuuri, like most girls her age, was perfectly capable of drying her own hair, but since she had done it for Kurumi, Kurumi had insisted that she returned the favor. "And now it smells like mine!"

"W-What are you talking about?" Yuuri stumbled over her words, fidgeting a little.

"Don't move!" Kurumi ordered. "I'm just saying that because we used the same shampoo today."

"The smell will go away by tomorrow morning." Yuuri said. "That's just what happens."

"That sucks. I like being samesies with Rii-san. If only you could share your brain too…"

"Didn't I tell you that you need to study if you want to be as smart as me?"

"That's no good either."

"Why not?" Kurumi turned off the hair-dryer and brushed Yuuri's hair for a few seconds before answering.

"Because if I get too smart, Rii-san won't come and help me study anymore!" Yuuri felt her body temperature shoot up several degrees as Kurumi hugged her from behind.

"And that would be a shame, now wouldn't it?" Yuuri tilted her head back and smiled. Kurumi grinned in response. "But you still need to study."

"Ouch. Okay, I will. Promise."

"Yes, yes. You and your promises." Kurumi smiled cheekily and put away the hair-dryer. She came back and started preparing her bed. "Where's my futon?"

"Didn't get it."

"Why not?"

"Because we're sleeping together, right?" Kurumi got on her bed and patted the space next to her. "Come on!" Hesitatingly, Yuuri sat on the bed next to Kurumi. Her friend reached over and turned off the lamp before pulling the blanket over both of them. She smiled cheerfully. "Good night, Rii-san!"

Yuuri smiled back, though she was still a bit embarrassed at sharing the same bed. But, she did have to admit that it was warmer and much nicer than sleeping alone. "Night, Kurumi."

* * *

 **Studying.**

 **It can be,**

 **A really good plot device.**

 **Too.**

 **-A (really sucky and horrible) poem (that should probably not be put on the internet) by me.**


	5. Chapter 5

**For the first time, the rest of the School Life Club (except for Taroumaru, I'm sorry Taroumaru! *sobs in corner for a few seconds*) makes an appearance. They are also chibi.**

 **Disclaimer: Don't own what I don't own.**

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It was a warm spring afternoon and two children ran carefree down the tree-lined path to the nearby playground. Since the only way to get to the play area was through the tree path, not that many people knew of the parks existence, which was what made it safe for two kids to go there by themselves. And the fact that the entrance was close enough to Kurumi's house that her father wasn't too worried letting her go to the park alone.

"I'm number one!" Kurumi declared when she reached the base of the climbing structure. She turned around, barely out of breath from the run. Her friend on the other hand, was panting as she jogged with increasingly slower speed to catch up. "You're too slow, Yuuri-chan. You've gotta run more, like me!"

"O-Okay…" Yuuri said slowly, having barely reached the finish line of their race.

"We didn't even run a block yet!" Kurumi huffed. "I'm gonna train you to be strong and fast like me!" She grabbed hold of the metal bars and started climbing up. "Come on! Start climbing!"

"B-But I've never done it before!" Yuuri looked at the climbing structure. "It doesn't look safe!"

"Psh! I've climbed this all the time! Now come on!" Hesitantly, Yuuri grabbed the bars and slowly started to climb the structure. Kurumi had already made it to the top and was just sitting up there, watching her friend closely. After what seemed like forever to her, Yuuri was sitting at her side, looking at her hands.

"My hands hurt…" Yuuri complained, shrinking back when Kurumi glared at her.

"You have to at least do what I do without complaining if you want to be my friend!" Kurumi scolded.

"I did!" The other girl started to cry, startling Kurumi. "I ran with you and I climbed this thing already!" Kurumi stared at her, taken aback by the cries. She felt a little guilty about it, and it wasn't Yuuri's fault that she wasn't as physically strong as Kurumi.

"Whoa, whoa. Don't cry. I'm sorry." Kurumi said, patting Yuuri on the back a bit awkwardly. Had it been any other person crying next to her, Kurumi would have probably shoved them off the structure to shut them up. But since Yuuri had given effort to match Kurumi's ability, Kurumi didn't feel like pushing her off. And Yuuri might go home and tell their parents, which would get her in big trouble. "I'll help you down and then we can go do something you like." Yuuri was also the only girl her age willing to do physical activity with her. Her only friend, though Kurumi wasn't sure she was ready to call Yuuri that since she was so easily tired out.

"Really?" Yuuri was still crying a bit, though she attempted to wipe her tears away. She wanted to be tough so Kurumi could call her a reliable friend, but she had never done any exercise before. It was only recently that her condition had become stable, whatever that meant. She hadn't seen a doctor in a month, which was the longest since she could remember. She wanted to be strong, like Kurumi, since Kurumi paid attention to her when all the other kids in the preschool already made friends with each other. She wanted to be Kurumi's best friend, and she would do anything to become tougher for Kurumi's sake.

"Yeah. Follow me." Kurumi started climbing down, guiding Yuuri with her voice on the best way to get down from the climbing structure. When both of them were back on the ground, Kurumi glanced around at the other utilities. "What do you want to do?"

"Play on the swings?" Yuuri suggested. There were only two swings on the swing set, and one was occupied by a younger girl reading a picture book. "You can swing first. I'll push."

"Nah, I'll push. You can swing." Yuuri nodded slowly and followed Kurumi to the swing set. But before they got close to the swings, another girl got in their way. Not the one on the swings; she was still reading her book. This one spread her arms, blocking their path to the swings.

"You can't play here. This is my territory." The other girl said, smirking proudly underneath her black cap. Kurumi felt personally insulted. This small park was practically hers since she was always the only one playing there, and now Yuuri's because Kurumi showed her how to get here. But she had never seen this other girl before, and to claim any of Kurumi's possession was to be asking for a fight.

"Kurumi-chan, let's go play on the slide instead…" Except she couldn't afford to fight. Not with Yuuri clinging to the back of her shirt. The play area was for everyone, and she was sure that the other girl would tire of the swings soon enough.

"Okay. Wanna try sliding down it backwards?" Kurumi challenged, leading her to the slide and away from the antagonistic girl. Yuuri's eyes widened in fear.

"You could fall down or something! It'll hurt!"

"Okay, you don't have to do it if you don't want to, but I'm gonna do it!" Kurumi put one hand on the ladder that led to the top of the slide. Another hand blocked her path. "What do you want now?"

"I said this is my territory. You can't play here." The girl responded nonchalantly.

"You said that at the swing set. This is the slide." Kurumi retorted.

"I meant the whole park. It's mine now. Got it, Kurumi?" The use of her name without an honorific irritated her beyond anything the girl had done or said so far. Even claiming the park as her own paled before the total disrespect that came from using her first name.

"That's it! The final straw! You're going down!" Kurumi shouted. The other girl blinked, not at all intimidated by Kurumi's anger. Instead, she looked past Kurumi at Yuuri.

"You. Come over here." Confused and frightened, Yuuri stepped over to the other girl's side. If she could perhaps calm the two of them down, they wouldn't have to fight…

"Yes?" She asked in a voice barely louder than a whisper. The girl grabbed her by the collar of her shirt and forced her to the ground by the ladder.

"Yuuri, was it? Too long. I'll call you Rii-san." The girl looked at Kurumi, who was now seething with held-back anger. "What're you going to do, huh, Kurumi?" Kurumi clenched and unclenched her fists. She wanted to beat up the offender, but now Yuuri had gotten involved. Her idiot friend, probably was hoping that she could stop the on-coming fight as she had done so many times in the school play area, had once again gotten herself into another stupid situation that she would need saving from.

"Kurumi…" Tears welled up in Yuuri's eyes. "I'm sorry…"

"Quiet, Yuuri-chan! It's not your fault!" Kurumi narrowed her gaze at the other girl. "It's stupid-cap over there who's at fault."

"My cap is not stupid!" She seemed to have struck a nerve, and Kurumi knew that she would need to hit as many nerves as she possibly could to get rid of this enemy. Her gaze shifted to the girl still sitting on the swings, ignoring the on-going fight. Perhaps she could be a hostage to negotiate for Yuuri, which would be her only way of getting Yuuri back unless the opportunity showed to get in an attack. "I'll have you know that it was given to me by-what are you doing?!" Kurumi ignored her and ran towards the swing set.

"Sorry about this!" She grabbed the reading child from behind and dragged her off the swing set. The girl looked at her with scared blue eyes and hugged the book to her chest, as if Kurumi wanted the book. "I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to get my friend back." The child followed her gaze to where the other girl still stood by the slide, Yuuri kneeling on the ground next to her, and nodded slowly. "Thanks." She took the girl by her hand and walked with her to the slide. "Now we both have a hostage. What are YOU going to do?" The other girl scratched her head.

"Nothing. I have no idea who that girl is." She shrugged. Kurumi's confidence dropped. She had been sure that the younger child was someone of importance to her opponent, considering that she hadn't been banned from the "claimed territory". She needed to fight for Yuuri's sake, and her "hostage" wasn't going to be of much use. She let the kid go and mentally prepared herself for the fight. The other girl sensed her willingness to fight back now and had the decency to look slightly intimidated. Only slightly.

"Fight, fight!" The child with the picture book chanted from a safe distance. After checking to make sure that the kid was indeed too far away to potentially get hurt, Kurumi locked eyes with her opponent. Her movements would have to be carefully planned, as a mistake could end up hitting Yuuri instead.

"Yuki-chan!" The fight was interrupted before it even begun. "We have to go now, or we'll miss the train!"

"Hmph. You got off lucky this time. Next time I come here, this place will really become mine." Yuki stuck her tongue out at Kurumi and ran off to the exit. "I'm here, Megu-nee!"

"We're going home, so you take care of yourself kid." Kurumi called out to the girl who had resumed reading on the swing set as she and Yuuri were about to leave. Her poor friend was in no mood to play anymore after what happened and wanted to go home.

"It's not 'kid'. It's Miki."

"Yeah, sure. See you." Kurumi waved until she got a responding wave. She then turned and headed for home, taking Yuuri with her.

"Kurumi." Was she hearing things? She didn't know a voice that was as smooth as the one she was now hearing. "Kurumi, wake up." Wake up? From what? A dream? "Kurumi." The voice was insistent now.

Kurumi yawned and sat up. Her back ached from sleeping at the table, and she was a bit cold from not properly covering herself before she took a nap. "Did you have a nice dream?"

"Eh...not really. But it was nice while it lasted." Kurumi stretched, gazing at the bustle of the School Life Club. Yuuri, concentrating on counting their remaining supplies. Yuki, struggling through a math workbook. Miki, reading silently at her seat. And Taroumaru, happily chewing away on a ping pong ball that he had found somewhere. She lowered her head back down on the table and closed her eyes. But that world was already gone.

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 **Was it a dream? Or was it memory? The world may never know...**


	6. Chapter 6

**Today's theme is Hot Pot! (Well, not really today...since this was written a while back...and it was a good idea when I wrote it...)**

 **Disclaimer: Still don't own it.**

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Kurumi stared at the lid of the pot sitting in the middle of the table. The period of time that it took for the ingredients inside the pot to cook was far too long in her mind. She glanced over at her friend, who was staying for dinner. Yuuri was also staring at the pot, in a more obvious way than even Kurumi could have done. Kurumi was still bored of the waiting, so she decided to ask Yuuri as to why she was staring so intently at the pot.

"Eh? You've never eaten a meal like this before?!" Kurumi said in shock. Yuuri shook her head slowly, casting her gaze downward. "Come on, everyone's eaten hot pot at some point in their lives right?!"

"I haven't. This is new." Yuuri fidgeted uncomfortably with the new knowledge that she was once again different from Kurumi. She did remember eating a lot of different types of food, but hot pot had never been one of them. In fact, she had never seen anything like putting all the ingredients in a single pot and waiting for the soup to boil.

"Hm…I guess then I'm your senpai in hot pot eating!" Kurumi puffed her chest in pride, though there really was no reason for her to do so.

"Okay, Kurumi-senpai!" As always, Yuuri went along with her ideas.

"So first off, you have to prepare for eating! You need a bowl, a sauce cup, and chopsticks!" Kurumi proclaimed excitedly.

"All here, Kurumi-senpai!" Yuuri responded just as eagerly. "Next step, Kurumi-senpai!"

"Next, you have to wait for the hot pot to boil!" Kurumi and Yuuri both looked at the pot in question, which was still shut.

"It is not boiling, Kurumi-senpai!" Yuuri reported the obvious, but Kurumi was too caught up in the act to correct her 'kouhai'. "What do we do now, Kurumi-senpai?!"

"We stare at the pot and wait!"

Both girls stood on their chairs to get a look at the contents of the pot after Kurumi's father finally took off the lid. Kurumi made a face when she saw just how many vegetables there were in the pot. She didn't like them, and preferred meat to vegetables. Yuuri, on the other hand, wasn't as picky and was willing to eat whatever she was allowed to eat.

"When retrieving food from the hot pot, always go for the meat! Never the vegetables!" Kurumi picked up her chopsticks and moved a piece of meat from the pot to her bowl.

"Yes, Kurumi-senpai!" Yuuri copied her friend, carefully avoiding the vegetables. Kurumi knew better than she did how to eat a hot pot and she would follow her instructions. If she said that the vegetables were not to be eaten, then Yuuri would avoid them. Or she was going to, until Kurumi's father chastised her for trying to get away without eating her vegetables.

Kurumi sulked as she picked unhappily at the cabbage in her bowl, which had been placed there by her father. She snuck a glance at Yuuri. Her friend was munching happily on the same vegetable that was giving her so much trouble to eat.

"Pst…Yuuri-chan." Kurumi whispered, trying not to be heard by her father even though all of them were sitting at the same table. Her voice was too low for Yuuri to hear, so she kicked her underneath the table. Yuuri looked at her with a mix of confusion and fear. "Help me eat this." She pointed at the cabbage with her chopsticks and motioned to her friend. Yuuri held out her bowl and Kurumi slipped the vegetable into it when she thought her father wasn't looking. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." Yuuri resumed eating, as did Kurumi.

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 **Yet another super short story! Hopefully that was filling enough for you, like the hot pot was for them. :D**


	7. Chapter 7

**This one kinda crosses over with Love Live. Kind of. It wasn't written with the intention of ever making it onto this site (since this category for Gakkou Gurashi didn't exist at the time it was being written) so having a crossover into a different anime didn't seem like a problem.**

 **Well, it's not so much a crossover as a I'm just gonna use characters from both so don't mind me...sort of thing.**

 **It's something.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Gakkou Gurashi or Love Live.**

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"No, please. Spare me. I have a wife, children, I-" Kurumi silenced the pleas for mercy without a second thought. The man's blood splattered her clothes, joining the stains of many others that fell to her. All around her, bodies lay in strewn in haphazard positions. Some appeared to be sleeping, if not for the blood that pooled below the unmoving limbs. Kurumi breathed in, breathed out, and pulled the spear from the body of the now-dead man. It was dripping with the warm blood of its victims. Her job at this village was nearly over; she just had to find the last of the opposing clan and put an end to their lives. Then the Takeya clan would be satisfied.

The soldiers under her command were useless. She sent them to scour the village and put an end to any of the Naoki clan that still remained. Kurumi hated having to do the final deed herself, hated being turned into a weapon for the Takeya clan's use. But she was under strict orders. Only one of the Naoki clan would be allowed to live, the heiress to the clan name. All others must be killed if she were to be allowed to see her most precious person again. The Naoki clan guards fought bravely but they still fell to her spear. She could not trust the soldiers to watch the heiress on the way back to the Takeya clan household. The young mistress of the Takeya clan was the one who ordered Kurumi to spare the Naoki clan heiress, and she did not think for a second that the young mistress wanted the girl to be spoiled by the poorly behaving soldiers.

"I have returned." Kurumi led the heiress to the edge of the tatami, careful to not step on it. Doing so would mean execution, for stepping on the same flooring as the Takeya clan members was a heinous crime in their eyes. She knelt, signifying respect, but she harbored an innate hatred towards this war-prone clan. "The Naoki clan, with the exception of this prisoner, is no more."

"Ah, yes. Thank you, Ebisuzawa-dono. The master will be pleased with the news of your successful venture." The one receiving her wasn't the head of the Takeya clan, but a minister to the clan, one of the many that gave voice to the Takeya clan's decisions.

"Father will indeed be pleased. The Naoki heiress is uninjured, I presume?" Kurumi turned to the young mistress and lowered her head.

"No injury has come to her, young mistress."

"Formal as always, Kurumi-dono. I do wish you would sometimes accept my offers of relaxation and take some time to…talk. As friends." She winked, a motion that Kurumi ignored.

"As much as I would love to take the offer, I cannot. I must practice night and day, for my skills are required to protect your clan." Which she hated doing, but Kurumi could not afford to be disrespectful. "If you would please, young mistress, I would rather be allowed to speak to Yuuri."

"Oh, her? Very well, you've earned some time." With the young mistress's attention taken by the Naoki heiress, Kurumi was excused by the minister and so she made her way through the many halls that made up the Takeya clan's main household.

Even though the household was large, Kurumi knew exactly where Yuuri would be. It was her favorite place in the prison she was trapped in, though she was only allowed to be there for a few hours each day. "Yuuri." The other girl straightened herself and looked to see who was calling for her. Almost immediately, Yuuri's gaze lit up in an affectionate smile, though worry still clouded her vision.

"Welcome back, Kurumi." She looked at the dried blood on Kurumi's face and clothes.

"None of the blood on me is my own." Kurumi told her. The information did not disperse the clouds; she knew that Yuuri would not have wanted her to fight in such a way. But she had no choice.

"We could run away, you know." The two had walked a small distance away from Yuuri's guards, keeping within their vision so they did not arouse suspicion. Yuuri always brought the idea of escape when she was with Kurumi, whether or not she felt she was up to the task. "The wall here in the garden is lower. Less people watching. We can do it, you and I."

"You know I can't." It wasn't just Yuuri who was in danger from the Takeya clan if Kurumi did not perform to their expectations. Her grandmother and grandfather were also at risk. They had no other means of survival for the Takeya clan controlled the surrounding area. They could take out her grandparents and none of the other families would care, for old people were no use in the village. She was the only one able to protect them now.

"I know…but I can't help wanting to leave." Yuuri had always been restless. Kurumi's grandfather told her once that her father had brought in a small boat with a dying girl in it. That had been Yuuri, and she had no memory of where she had come from or what she had been doing in that boat. Kurumi attributed her restlessness to her inability to remember where she came from. But now she couldn't leave the main household. Because she was a prisoner, with her life dependent on Kurumi's loyalty to the Takeya clan.

"One day the Takeya clan will have to let me go. Until then, you have to stay here." Kurumi would have hugged Yuuri had she not been covered in blood. "Remember my promise?"

"Yes. You'll take me home." Yuuri hugged her, blood stained and all. "Ugh, you stink."

"That's why you shouldn't hug me." Kurumi said lightly.

"Wakasa-sama, it is time to return to your quarters." Yuuri made a face at Kurumi, then turned back to her guards.

"Yes, yes. I'm coming." She said, making her way to where they stood. There was no need for good-byes between her and Kurumi. Both felt that to say 'good-bye' meant that they would never see each other again. So they never said 'good-bye', but ended the conversation in a way that it could be continued the next time they met. Yuuri would go to the room intended for her use and Kurumi would head home to see her grandparents for the first time in weeks.

Kurumi snuck into Yuuri's quarters that night. She ignored the possible consequences that could arise from her transgression of wanting to see her friend. Yuuri was the only person she could count on to be there for her when she needed her to be. And she needed her now.

"Yuuri…I'm the only one left who holds the Ebisuzawa name…" Kurumi said, trying desperately not to cry. She couldn't afford to make that much noise. Getting caught wasn't a problem for her, but she didn't want Yuuri to be involved in whatever punishment would result from her sneaking in. "If I…If I hadn't been stubborn…I would have been at home with them when they died." She didn't need to say what it was that she had been stubborn about. Yuuri already knew.

"But if you hadn't been stubborn, we all would have died a long time ago. Your stubbornness and your ability with the spear is what kept us alive." The Takeya clan had rose to power nearly a decade ago and had need warriors to replace the ones that they lost to gain power. They demanded one from each household, and those that could not send a fighter were decimated. Their names were erased, as if it were shameful that those families did not have a ready warrior. Kurumi's father had died not too long before, of food poisoning, leaving two elderly individuals and two girls, neither of whom was older than ten. They would have been killed, except for the fact that Kurumi did know how to use a weapon. She had been doing it for years, assisting her father as he fished for their meals, and exceled at spear fishing. The Takeya clan turned her spear fishing into a weapon for their purposes. If she did not join their growing army, she would have been put to death along with her grandparents and dear friend. "Listen, Kurumi. There is a way for us to get out of this. We can escape."

"No, we can't Yuuri. I told you before. We'll never get away from this clan." Kurumi couldn't imagine trying to keep both of them alive long enough to get out of the Takeya clan's range. They covered a large area now, and many families were loyal to them out of fear. There was nowhere they could escape to.

"Yes, we can. The head of this clan is very ill. It won't be much longer before the escape that I have been planning with the aid of an insider can be performed." Now she had Kurumi's attention.

"Someone's willing to help you get out of here?" Kurumi asked, barely able to believe this turn of events. She would mourn her grandparents, and grieve over their deaths, but that would have to wait until after their escape. An insider, one of the Takeya clan, was on their side. She couldn't trust them, but she did trust Yuuri's judgement. "Who?"

"Our accomplice likes introducing herself so that'll have to wait for another time. At any rate, you'll probably be sent out to another town tomorrow. Just go along with the Takeya head for now, and I or my accomplice will contact you when we need you."

"That's a lot of secrecy, but I'll go along with it for now." Kurumi stood up and stretched. "I'd better get out of here before they find me in your room."

"You can sleep here tonight. It'll be hard to sleep in the house now." Yuuri offered. "I'll wake you up before they check on me in the morning." Kurumi thought about it. The risk they were taking in her staying in Yuuri's room was high, but she didn't want to go back to an empty house.

"Okay, I'll stay. Scoot over." Yuuri obliged and Kurumi got into the futon next to her. "It's been a while since we've slept together."

"Because we aren't allowed to see each other anymore. It's nice, I think. I wish they would let us do this once in a while." Yuuri rolled over to face Kurumi but the other girl was already asleep. She took a hold of Kurumi's hands, feeling for a familiar touch. The years of fighting had stripped Kurumi of nearly all her fragility, not that she would ever admit she had any to begin with. Yuuri wanted desperately to go back to the time when she had just arrived at the village, when she was still recovering from near-starvation, when Kurumi proudly showed off her fishing skills by falling face-first into the water in her hurry to show off. "It's been years since we've laughed together, Kurumi. I promise I'll get us out of this. I'll protect you just like you've always protected me." She searched Kurumi's face for any sign of hearing her and decided to sleep when she didn't see any.

Kurumi awoke to yelling, which came from right outside Yuuri's door. Her friend had overslept and it was already mid-morning. Whatever the argument was, Kurumi was grateful for it as it allowed her to escape before the guards found here where she wasn't supposed to be. She exited through the window, knowing that Yuuri would realize she had to leave before they were both caught and punished.

"My lord requests that you go to the east and deal with the growing power of the Nishikino clan. It has come to his attention that the Nishikino clan is receiving supplies from the Kousaka and Ayase clans. There will be three total groups deployed, and you will lead yours against the Ayase clan." This minister was deeply devoted to the head of the Takeya clan, unlike the minister she had seen the previous day. "No survivors. There is no room here in the main household for any extra mouths."

"I understand. The young mistress?"

"She has no say in this matter. My lord was deeply displeased with the young mistress's decision to keep the Naoki scum alive." He sneered. Kurumi was reminded once again why she hated the Takeya clan so much. She had known this minister a long time ago. He had been much kinder then. But the easy power over others handed to him by the Takeya clan had corrupted his sense of duty.

"Very well. I will set out to the east."

The strongest asset to the Nishikino clan was a female warrior from the Ayase clan. It fell to Kurumi to take out the warrior through any means necessary, even if she had to decimate the village she came from. She was sick and tired of her soldiers, many of whom had run away or threatened to run away. They were useless when compared to her skills, and she was content to give in to their desire to stay at a nearby encampment while she scouted their opponents alone.

Here, the people had no knowledge of the Takeya clan. The townspeople lived under the order brought by the Ayase clan, and they did so willingly. There was no fear of death if they disobeyed. Rather, the Ayase clan encouraged the people to voice their dissent so that they could change the laws accordingly. Kurumi learned this from talking to the townspeople as she searched for the Ayase clan.

"The Ayase?" She had been unable to locate a house that was larger than the rest of the homes in the village and had to risk giving away herself to find them. "It's that one on the edge of the river, watching the bridge to the next village. Real nice people, they are. You can walk right in if you want. Where're you from anyway?"

"Over the hills thataway." Kurumi answered, not wanting to tell a lie but was unable to give away her actions.

"Different place, huh? Well, don't make trouble and you'll fit in real nice here." The woman she was talking to must have assumed Kurumi wanted to move into the village. "See you around then." Kurumi nodded and walked past her to the house that the woman had mentioned.

It was the same size as the other homes in the village, which was why it didn't stand out to her previously. The only difference was that it had a garden that wrapped around to the back of the house, where she could see a young girl taking care of the flowers. Too late to pretend she was just moving along; the girl had spotted her.

"Onee-chan! There's a guest!" She called, to an unseen person.

"Honestly, Arisa. Hasn't Mother taught you manners?" A young woman around Kurumi's age walked out from behind the house. She had a sword strapped to her outfit, and Kurumi forced herself to keep her guard down. A spear would be of little use in close-combat fighting, especially against a sword. And she couldn't say that she wasn't intrigued by the idea of a clan that didn't control its people by fear. "Hello, there. I haven't seen you before, and I know all the people in this village. Are you here by order of the Nishikino or are you a traveler?"

"I'm a traveler, brought here by news of the Ayase clan's kindness and integrity." Which wasn't exactly a lie, since Kurumi had just been talking to a woman who spoke of the Ayase's virtues.

"With a weapon like that? I can't say that travelers normally need protective weaponry in these parts. If you don't mind, I would prefer it if we were to speak inside the house." The young woman's hand rested on the sheath of her sword. Her intention was clear. If they were inside, Kurumi would not be able to maneuver her spear as well as the woman could use her sword. But she wasn't sure she wanted to go through with her orders, especially not if the Nishikino were just as benevolent as the Ayase. And she did not want to keep on killing for a lord that only knew how to find peace through war.

"I would be more than happy to enjoy the comfort of a seat after my days of travel." The young woman relaxed slightly and she led Kurumi into the house, sending her younger sister to prepare tea.

"Done with training, Eri-chi?" Kurumi wondered if the Ayase household was so small because only three young women lived there. She had trouble placing this new face in the family relevant to who she assumed to be the head of the family and the head's younger sister.

"Not quite, but we have a guest. You should join us for the talking." She saw the change in the woman's gaze from gentleness to something similar to a trapped animal. "In here, weary traveler."

Kurumi seated herself on the tatami floor while the woman moved cushions in place for herself and the Ayase he ad. The younger sister came in, balancing a tray with a tea lot and the cups on it. "Here, Onee-chan."

"Thank you, Arisa. You can help yourself to a manjuu in the kitchen cupboard." To get her sister out of harm's way if a fight broke out without alarming her was and intelligent decision on the head's part, Kurumi realized. When the door slid shut behind Ayase Arisa, the head of the Ayase clan began their talk.

"As you are already aware, I am Ayase Eri, head of my clan. My alliance is with the Nishikino and Kousaka clans. This is my wife, Nozomi, of a faraway clan. Who are you?" The idea that two women were able to marry each other was a novel idea, one that had certainly not been addressed over at her home town.

"I am Ebisuzawa Kurumi, the last of my family name. I have come from the west in search of the Nishikino clan." Kurumi paused, considering whether or not she should speak her mission. She decided to wait and see if she wanted to turn against the Takeya clan. "I cannot state my purpose."

"Even we who live a peaceful life are aware of the Takeya clan's prowness. Are you here to destroy our village like you have so many others? If so, I'm afraid I must stop you here." Eri's hand moved to her blade again. In an enclosed space, she would surely have the upper hand.

Kurumi hesitated. Eri made no movement to attack, nor did she lower her guard. It would not be to her advantage if she chose to fight but she could not blindly trust her opponent either. A flash caught her eye; Nozomi was equipped with a knife! She reached over her shoulder to grab her spear. "Have it your way."

She barely managed to get her spear in front of her as Eri unsheathed her sword and swung it at her in one fluid motion. The metallic clang that came as she blocked the blade rang in her ears. Eri drew back, sword ready as she waited for Kurumi's responding move. "I don't wish to fight!" Eri jumped over Kurumi's sweeping kick at her legs, then blocked the tip of the spear as Kurumi thrust it at her. The sharp point of the spear hung close to Eri's ear and Kurumi drew it back.

"No trouble shall come to our peaceful village. Your presence threatens the peace and the lives of all the innocent who live here. If you truly wish not to fight, then cast your spear away now." Eri responded evenly, her gaze cold and unforgiving. Kurumi pointed her spear at Eri as the other woman raised her blade to Kurumi's neck. Eri would kill her without a moment's hesitation to protect her village and Kurumi could not blame her for that. Her appointed mission from the Takeya clan paled considerably before Eri's determination for justice.

"Answer me this and I will throw away my weapon and pride as the bloodthirsty wolf-I hate that name- of the Takeya Army. What is the goal that the Nishikino clan is aiming for?"

"Nishikino plans to unite the towns and villages without warfare. Now throw down your spear!" Kurumi had to choose: the peace offered by an unknown clan or the bloody conquest of the Takeya clan. She smiled inwardly; there was no choice. She lowered her spear and tossed it lightly in Eri's direction. It landed with a soft thud on the tatami between them. Empty-handed, she faced the head of the Ayase clan as a blade entered her body from behind. Stunned by the suddenness of the attack and the pain, Kurumi looked sharply to see if it was Nozomi who attacked her despite her surrender to Eri. Both Eri and Nozomi were still in front of her, wearing equally sunned expressions. Her train of thought refused to obey her; there was something else besides the blade that had entered her body. Just a single wound like this wouldn't cause so much pain. Her muscles gave out on her and she crashed to the floor, entering the black void of unconsciousness.

Her gaze was hazy when she struggled to painful awareness. The throbbing ache wasn't just where she had gotten stabbed in the back. It seemed like her entire body was complaining to her brain, and her brain was complaining right back. She struggled to make sense of what she was seeing, as she was aware of a person next to her but could barely focus on the other long enough to make out the bright green color of her eyes. "What…happened…?" She managed to say. Even her mouth didn't want to obey her.

"The little sister poisoned you with her dagger, and Eri-chi is dealing with her now. Rest, Ebisuzawa-dono, and do not fear. The poison will work its way out of your system in a few days." Kurumi wanted to relax, now that she was being attended to by Nozomi, but she couldn't. She ignored both the pain in her body and Nozomi's protests as she struggled to sit up.

"There is no time to delay. Forget the poison. I need to talk to Eri-sama right away." Kurumi looked at Nozomi in the eye. "Hurry!" Her body ached terribly but she held her gaze until Nozomi went.

"You can't go. Especially if what you say is true." Eri stubbornly held her position, just as Kurumi maintained her own. "What good would it do anyone if a poisoned girl showed up on a battlefield?"

"But I am still the leader of the soldiers camped outside this village. We must get them to bypass this place and go to the Nishikino headquarters so that you can capture them there. And you cannot do that without my going along." Kurumi panted, even that short of a speech winded her.

"You are in no condition do anything! You're feverish, your limbs will not obey you, even talking exhausts you! What drives you to move in a condition where you should rest?!"

"The same thing that drives you." Kurumi met Eri's gaze. "I want to protect the one I love from the Takeya clan." She hoped she managed to reach a mutual understanding with the older warrior.

"Fine."

"Eri-chi, you can't. She's too weak-"

"Nozomi, when have my decisions ever gone wrong?"

"Ever since I met you." Eri stared at Nozomi with disbelieving eyes. "You were a naïve and idiotic moron of a cold-blooded fox, which is why I can't stop you from doing what you want. Your decisions are logically incorrect, but your heart is in the right place-half the time." Kurumi looked away as the two kissed; it looked like the insulting half of Nozomi's comments had gone right past Eri. She just hoped that they would be able to get going soon, before she died of embarrassment at being stuck in the same room as two love-struck idiots.

"See, Eri-chi? This is why I said your ideas aren't the greatest."

"What's wrong with this? We'll move faster this way."

"Ebisuzawa-dono-Sorry, can I call you Kurumi? Your last name is a bit longer than most."

"I don't mind."

"I'm not sure carrying Kurumi-dono to her soldiers like she's a deer you managed to kill is a good idea."

"Well how else are we going to get her around?" Eri lowered Kurumi to the ground in a standing position and she almost collapsed again due to the poison circulating in her bloodstream. She gripped Eri's arm tightly so she wouldn't fall down.

"Since the story we're giving them is that she defeated you, you have to look like you can barely walk. Hm…how do we do this…" Nozomi proceeded to issue instructions on body positioning and walking patterns for Eri to follow, repeating them several times just to make sure that her wife understood the importance of the instructions. Kurumi just wanted them to hurry up. The faster they could get to her soldiers, the faster they could get to the Nishikino headquarters and the faster she could go home. Nozomi wanted Eri to support Kurumi's weight while appearing like she was the one being supported, which was near impossible either of them. It took another hour or so before Nozomi was satisfied and let them leave the house.

"So, Kurumi. Do you want to walk to your camp or should I carry you?" The two of them had also decided to do away with the formal honorifics since they had found so much in common with each other. Eri looked at Kurumi, who was not holding up well with the effects of the poison. "I'm going to carry you. At least until we're really close."

"Yeah…that seems logical enough, Eri-senpai." Kurumi got a nice view of what it was like to be carried like a sack of flour, a slight improvement over being carried like a dead deer. Except she was sure that the way they were supposed to be going was in front of her, and since the front of her body was draped over Eri's back, that meant that her new friend was heading the wrong way. "Eri-senpai, you're going the wrong way. The camp is in that direction."

"You could say so before we started to move." Eri grumbled, turning around and heading back in the direction of the rest of the village.

"I did though. But I think you were too busy doing…things…with Nozomi-san."

Eri let Kurumi down once she felt they were too close to the encampment to risk being seen carried by her 'defeated enemy'. They then took on the positions they were supposed to have, with Kurumi appearing to support Eri when it really was the other way around. Being carried by Eri had been the right choice, as she wasn't moving on her own so that was a relief on her mind and body. She would need her wits to tell her soldiers to move on, which she was sure they wouldn't mind doing. They didn't really like her anyway, which she assumed was a response to being upstaged by a woman on the battlefield. The other two leaders of the army were men, and her soldiers would be more than willing to go to their side rather than stay on hers.

"It's General Ebisuzawa-dono." "She's back." These comments were among the nicer ones as the soldiers murmured uneasily at her return. She heard quite a few bad-mouthing her, as they were prone to doing when they thought she couldn't hear them. She could feel Eri tense up at the more insulting mutters but did not betray their act.

"I have captured this village by defeating Ayase Eri, who you see here. My orders for you are to go join the other forces marching from the Takeya as we speak, and I shall meet you at the Nishikino clan's main house." Poorly concealed signals of cheer spread among her soldiers and they set about packing up their camp more quickly than they had been to set it up. Not a single one questioned the strange orders or offered to stay behind to accompany her. Within an hour, everything was packed up and the soldiers were ready to march, which they did without another order from her. She waited until they were out of earshot before sagging.

"Okay, that's settled. Now we get you to the Nishikino." Eri immediately picked her up again and carried her back in the direction of her village. She had horses, currently under the care of another villager, and riding one would be a much more doable task than carrying Kurumi all the way to their destination.

But when they got to the stables, only one horse remained to them. The other two that Eri had been certain were there before were gone.

"I'm sorry, Ayase-dono! But Lady Toujou and the little sister insisted on taking horses or they would walk there themselves!"

"Where did they go?!" Eri yelled, forgetting that Kurumi was right next to her nearly deafening her in the process.

"I don't know! I just know that it's far enough that they need horses!"

"Shit…where would they go that they needed horses…" Eri paused. "No. Did they leave after a large group of armed men passed this village?"

"Now that you mention it, the little sister did say that they were doing some sort of check-up…"

"Saddle the remaining horse! Hurry!"

"I'm sure they can take care of themselves, Eri-senpai…" Kurumi muttered as she was swung to and fro by Eri's agitated movements. But Eri was no longer listening to reason, only delaying long enough to make sure Kurumi was seated comfortably on the saddle behind her before urging the horse into a gallop.

"You don't know those idiots." Eri retorted once they delved into the forest and had to go more slowly due to the lack of a path. "Neither of them has any training, and the best they could do is get themselves captured!"

"You really have no confidence in your family." Kurumi sighed. "Not that I can talk."

"You're better off resting. Maybe it'll speed up the recovery."

"That's not what I meant. And it's a bit hard to rest when you're being jostled every few seconds."

Even with Eri going as fast as she could by horse, it still took a few days before they made it to the town the Nishikino called their home. Fighting already broke out on the town's western side, so Eri rode around to the east and entered the town from there.

"Honoka must already be at the front lines. We'd better head into the main house and ensure Maki's safety." Kurumi followed at Eri's heels. The poison had left her body weak, but at least she now had control of her limbs again.

"Can your Honoka-dono fend off the three groups at the same time?" Kurumi asked as they passed the guards blocking the back entrance to the main house.

"Sure she can. She commands a pretty large force herself. My only worry is that we haven't found Nozomi or Arisa on the way here." They were now walking through the wooden hallways in the house, heading to Maki's room. The plan was to station Kurumi in the room with the Nishikino head of house so that any soldiers that came could be turned away by one of the Takeya generals, therefore keeping Maki alive. This was also for Kurumi's sake, since she couldn't exactly go to war against her soldiers without them calling her a traitor.

"We're clear on the plan for cleaning away the corruption correct?" Kurumi faced her new friends as they neared the village where the main Takeya house stood. When she got responding nods, and one cheer, she continued. "I'll go in alone first, and tell my friend of my own plan. I'll come back for you."

"All right, that sounds reasonable. Go for it, Kurumi." Eri said, Honoka and Maki smiling behind her. The original plan was just to bring Eri along, but since she needed the head of the house to come out for their plan to work, she had to bring the other two heads back along with her. The promise of being able to watch the beheading of the Nishikino head should be sufficient enough to lure the Takeya head out.

Kurumi snuck into the village. She couldn't afford to be spotted by anyone except for Yuuri. There would be surely be questions if she was caught by anyone else, since she was the only one that had returned from the campaign to fight the Nishikino. Slowly, she made her way to the Takeya main house and climbed over the wall right next to where Yuuri's room was located and opened the window.

"Kurumi!" Yuuri hugged her after the initial shock of having her enter through the window again. The young mistress of the Takeya clan and the heiress to the Naoki clan were also in the room, though Yuuri paid no mind to them in expressing her affection.

"Yuuri. It's good to see you, but there's something I have to discuss with you." She leaned closer so that she wouldn't be overheard. "The escape. I have a plan. Allies, that can help us get out of here."

"Oh, good. We were waiting for you to get back so we could start our plan." Yuuri said. "But your idea is probably better."

"They're in on it too?" Kurumi asked in disbelief.

"I'm not in on it! I started it!" The Takeya girl protested. "I'm sick of the fighting too you know!"

"I'm just here because Yuki-senpai forced me to come."

"Anyway, we were planning on having you assassinate the head of house but let's hear out your plan."

Kurumi didn't really want to trust Yuki or Miki to keep silent about her plan, but she told them what she had come up with.

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 **What Kurumi does next is completely up to the reader's imagination. Hope you enjoyed. :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**AND...we're back to having chibis again.**

 **Also cameo from Honoka-san of Love Live. No, I did not mention her by name in this one.**

 **Disclaimer: Don't own either.**

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Kurumi stood on her tiptoes as she peered out the front window. The snow had stopped falling, leaving a thick layer of the sparkly white particles behind. She saw this with great excitement and hurried to the kitchen, where her father was still reading his newspaper.

"Dad, dad! The snow stopped! I want to go and play at the park with Rii-san!" She demanded, convinced that her father wasn't moving fast enough as he took out his cellphone to call Yuuri's parents. The thirty seconds of talk between the adults seemed too long for Kurumi in her desire to go out and play.

"Okay, Yuuri-chan will be here in a few minutes. Why don't you go and put on your coat? Can you do it yourself?"

"Of course!" Kurumi puffed up her chest with pride. She hurried off without another comment to her father, so eager she was to prepare for the outing.

"Woow! The park's big!" Yuuri gasped. The two girls stood at the edge of a large field of white, their breaths coming out as misty clouds. "What do we do first, Kurumi-chan?"

"I know! Let's-" Kurumi paused. She had almost challenged Yuuri to a snowball fight, which wouldn't be good for her friend's health. She didn't want to cause too much a strain on Yuuri's body; she never wanted to see her in such a weak state again. "Let's make stuff from the snow!"

"Stuff? I don't know what kind of stuff to make but it sounds fun!" It seemed like Yuuri hadn't noticed the slight pause as Kurumi tried to come up with something that didn't involve too much activity. Kurumi bent down where she was and grabbed at the snow with her gloved hands, packing it into a tight and compact ball. She didn't know what to make either, so she just continued putting more snow onto the growing snowball. Snow crunched under Yuuri's boots as she moved a few feet away from Kurumi to give her friend some room to use. She knelt and started shaping the snow in front of her.

Kurumi now had a snowball slightly larger than the her hand could hold so she started to roll it on the ground and make it even larger. "Kurumi-chan, Kurumi-chan! Look!" Yuuri showed her a small snow rabbit, with leaves for ears and two small pebbles for its eyes. She even put whiskers on the snow rabbit, in the form of grass she found by digging through the snow.

"It's very nice." Kurumi told her. "Give me a sec to finish." It was her competitive nature speaking for her. Kurumi was not very good at art since she preferred to do physical activities that required more skill from her muscles than her brain.

"Okay." Yuuri hummed a tune from a commercial as she started on another snow bunny to keep herself busy while she waited for Kurumi. Kurumi stared at the snowball she had been pushing around. She had a bit of an idea of what to do with it, but it would require the making of another snowball before she could actually shape it into anything. She started packing the snow together into another sphere.

Yuuri had finished another two snow rabbits by the time Kurumi was satisfied with what she made. "Ta-da! A snow cat!" Kurumi showed off her creation proudly. It looked like a fat cat sitting on its paws. She had given it grass whiskers as Yuuri had done for her snow rabbits, though she neglected to give it a tail.

"It's super cute, Kurumi-chan!"

"You haven't seen nothing yet! I'll make a snow version of you, Rii-san!" To emphasize her point, Kurumi immediately started gathering snow for the snowball she would need as the base of the snowman.

"Okay! Then I'll make one of Kurumi-chan!" Yuuri promised, heading across the field. She knew they would need a lot more snow than it took to create the snow animals. She would give Kurumi more area to work with. Once she felt she was far enough away to not be in Kurumi's way, she started packing snow into a snowball. Neither of them saw more kids, older ones, coming into the park.

Kurumi didn't know where to start making the two stacked up balls of snow look like her best friend. She was making more snowballs, small ones that she could throw around later, as she thought of how to make it more…Yuuri-like. The hair, she decided, would be the hardest part as it had to look like it was silky and soft, qualities that weren't easily represented by snow. "Hm…what to do what to do…" She muttered to herself, her hands automatically shaping the fifteenth snowball. The other fourteen lay in haphazardly around her as she had just made them with the snow around her and moved on when she ran out of snow in that particular area.

"Ah! I was working on that!" Yuuri's voice caught her ear, and Kurumi looked to where she was, a bit confused. She saw the snow figure of her before three boys blocked her vision. An older girl was holding Yuuri by the arm, preventing her from going back to her creation. Kurumi knew that Yuuri would never act out against people older than she was; Yuuri was too good in that regard. She hoped that she wouldn't have to act herself. Fighting others in front of Yuuri was not something she liked doing, as her friend was against fighting. But she could not control herself if Yuuri came into any danger. "Please let me go…I didn't do anything wrong…" Kurumi's hand continued to shape more snowballs, this time placing small pebbles on the outer layer of the otherwise smooth snow.

"Get out of here, little girl! We're taking over this place to have a snowball fight! Little kids aren't allowed!" One of the boys sneered. Kurumi now had a stack of twenty snowballs. They were within range of her throwing distance. The pebbles would hurt, but not as much as if she used ice or stones.

"But-but I'm playing here already! A-And that's my snowman!" Yuuri sounded as if she was on the verge of tears. Kurumi knew this tone of voice by heart. She had been the cause of Yuuri's tears several times and her defender from those who caused her to cry at others. Kurumi now had thirty snowballs. Her hands were moving faster as her anger mounted.

"This thing? It's in the way!" With that, the boy kicked the snowman Yuuri had spent time working on over. And the first snowball left Kurumi's hands. It fell apart as it hit the boy's back, but now she had gotten their attention. Yuuri whimpered, still restrained by the older girl. Her snow-Kurumi was now face-down on the ground. "What the hell? Who threw that?!"

"You make the princess cry and her knight comes to her rescue! Eat this!" Kurumi threw another snowball, this time hitting him in the face as he turned to face her. He spat out the snow that ended up in his mouth angrily.

"The hell's with this kid! Get her!" Kurumi threw as many snowballs as she could at the on-coming boys, pelting them with her pebble-studded projectiles. Most thudded against their thick winter coats but a few grazed their faces, leaving thin red stripes that resembled whiskers on their cheeks.

"Kurumi-chan!" Yuuri cried from where she was. She tugged herself free from the older girl, then slipped on the snow in her hurry to get away. Her tears made hot paths down her cheeks as she was hauled back up by the girl she had tried to get away from.

"Rii-san!" Kurumi feinted to the left, then ran right around the boys as they tried to catch her. She still had one snowball. It was not like the other ones she had thrown. Those only had pebbles on the outside. This one was heavier and bigger because it hid a stone in the center. She hadn't planned on using it as she wanted to scare the boys away. It would have been amusing if they had just left them be because a little girl dared to throw pebble covered snowballs at them. But no one, absolutely no one, had the right to make Yuuri cry. Those that did would be severely punished. "Get away from my friend!" Kurumi heaved the heavy snowball at the older girl. She made sure to aim lower since stones hurt more than pebbles, but it still made a satisfying thump as it hit the girl's stomach. The older girl fell backwards, hands over her stomach. Kurumi was sure there would be a nasty bruise there later, but that was not her concern. She took Yuuri by the hand and dashed back to where her snow-Yuuri was. She dodged the boys that tried to catch her on the way back, tripping one of them up as they went to help their female friend. Quickly, she sculpted another stone snowball, shielding Yuuri with her own body.

The older kids were even more angry than they were before. "There's just two of them! Make them pay for what they did to her!" The other boys cheered, then gasped as the snow-covered stone hit their leader. There wasn't just a thin scratch on his face, but a thick gash had been opened up on his forehead by the stone within the snowball. His blood dripped on the white snow.

"Get out of here. Now." Kurumi still held the snowball in her hand and she gaped as she looked up. A high school student, older than the kids bullying them, glared menacingly at the bullies. "I said. Now." Her blue eyes were colder than steel. The kids scrambled to their feet and ran away, bumping into each other as they slid over the snow.

Kurumi backed away from the high school student as she knelt down to their level. She held onto the snowball tightly, preparing to throw it if they had just been made targets by a stronger person than their previous bullies. "It's okay. I won't hurt you." The high school student kept her distance, reflexively tucking a ginger strand behind her ear. She smiled. "My family owns a sweets store a few blocks away from here. Would you want to eat something warm?"

"I do!" Kurumi answered immediately, dropping the snowball. Yuuri shyly nodded her approval, flinching as the high school student stood back up.

"Let me get permission from your dad first." The high school student said.

"My dad?" Kurumi asked. As far as she knew, her father had taken them both here and then left to supposedly get a cup of coffee somewhere warm and wouldn't be back until later.

"Yeah. He's the one behind that tree, right?" The teenager pointed. Kurumi followed her finger and saw her father making a pathetic attempt to hide his presence.

They later left the store with a bag of mochi for their dessert; Kurumi's father didn't feel like it was right for his daughter and her friend to receive free snacks even though the high school student's mom said it was perfectly fine. Kurumi didn't need to tell her father what she had done for Yuuri's sake; he had seen it all from behind the tree. She wasn't in trouble for her actions as she had done it to protect her friend. She did learn that he had almost stepped in to stop the fight but the teenager had beaten him to the act. She didn't really care about that. She was more focused on the fact that Yuuri didn't want to go home and so they had obtained permission from her parents to spend the night with Kurumi again.

"I'm turning off the lights." Kurumi called out, flipping the switch. She walked back to one of the two futons laid out on the floor in her bedroom. She didn't want to use the bed when she was with Yuuri. It didn't feel right making Yuuri sleep on the floor while she used a bed. "Good night, Rii-san."

"Good night, Kurumi-chan." Yuuri responded. She closed her eyes, trying to go to sleep. It didn't feel right, though. Yuuri was used to hugging something when she slept. After a few minutes of trying to sleep, she turned to face Kurumi. "Kurumi-chan. Hey, Kurumi-chan."

"What is it…Rii-san?" Kurumi mumbled sleepily, turning to face her friend.

"I can't sleep." Yuuri whispered. "I feel restless because I don't have Bun-chan with me." Bun-chan was the name of the stuffed rabbit Yuuri always slept with. It took a few seconds for Kurumi's half-asleep mind to remember what she was talking about.

"Come here, Rii-san…" Kurumi lifted up the edge of the futon closest to Yuuri. After a bit of hesitation, Yuuri moved over to Kurumi's futon. "Okay…now we sleep…" She dozed off again just after she finished speaking, her arms wrapped around Yuuri.

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 **...kind of running out of things to say here...**


	9. Chapter 9

**Now we're finally back at the high school. But it's still pretty...weird, I guess.**

 **Rated: Somewhat more adult? (I think? There's a kiss.)**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Gakkou Gurashi.**

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"-rl power. Kurumi, are you even listening?" Kurumi was startled out of her half-awake daydream, and gladly, as she had been about to finish the pocky game with Yuuri. It was a strange sort of daydream, except for the fact that the actual person was right in front of her with a very stern glare on her face.

"Uh…yeah. I totally agree. One-hundred percent." Kurumi said quickly. Only then did she look around and realize they were alone in the club room, which meant that there wasn't something she needed to agree with Yuuri on. And Yuuri seemed a little…off, in some way, that Kurumi couldn't really put her finger on.

"Hm…then that makes it simpler. IF you were listening." Something was definitely off with Yuuri's behavior. Kurumi considered her choices. She hadn't been listening as she had been half-asleep while Yuuri was talking to her, so pretending she had listened wouldn't get her very far. On the other hand, leaving Yuuri behind when something was so clearly off wasn't exactly the best decision ever. And she had no idea where Miki or Yuki were, or when they would come back to the club room.

"Um…so what are we doing?" Kurumi asked sheepishly after the silence stretched so long that even she realized that Yuuri was waiting for her to respond. She decided to stay and observe for now, planning to make a run for it if a lecture should come.

"We are going to work on increasing your girl power!" Yuuri shouted, dramatically pointing at Kurumi. Kurumi was confused. She had figured something was off about the whole thing. Maybe she was still dreaming. She pinched herself. "…what the heck are you doing?"

"Nothing, nothing." Kurumi looked around for her shovel. She could have sworn it was right next to her before she started to doze off. "What's wrong with my current girl power?"

"You don't have any." Yuuri said flatly. "You run around getting yourself dirty, killing things, chasing after other things and-" Kurumi tuned her out after that, still trying to wake herself up from what she believed to be another strange dream. She let Yuuri rant about all her faults "-eating hardtack day and night, getting covered in blood-" Her friend was still going, and didn't seem like she'd stop anytime soon. Kurumi wondered what she should do to get out of her predicament. She didn't like the sound of 'increasing girl power'.

"Okay, then what should I do?" Kurumi asked, interrupting Yuuri mid-rant. How long was Yuuri's list of Kurumi's faults? Her chest hurt a little at the realization that Yuuri had such a long list of faults to rant about.

"It's relatively simple. You just have to follow my lead." Yuuri winked, which weirded Kurumi out even more than she had been previously. But she had already partially given up when she asked the question and decided to go all the way with it.

"Okay."

"Keep my eyes closed?" Kurumi asked. She frowned a bit, as she had been keeping her eyes closed for a few seconds now and Yuuri still hadn't done anything.

"Yes, keep them closed." Oh, her voice was closer now. So Yuuri had been doing something. Just what, Kurumi wasn't sure about. Dutifully, she kept her eyes closed, even when she sensed another presence extremely close to her. And then that presence sat on her lap. She half-opened her eyes just in time to get an up-close view of Yuuri's eyes as their lips met.

She squeezed her eyes shut as the contact continued. Yuuri's lips were soft, she realized, and hesitantly stuck her tongue out to get a better feel of it. She could feel Yuuri flinch in shock, and she wondered if she was doing something wrong. But then Yuuri's lips parted, allowing her a way in. Her tongue pressed against Yuuri's, but she was starting to get the hang of using her tongue. She wanted to explore a little bit. It should be fine, since Yuuri was going on about "increasing her girl power" after all. Kurumi actually thought she was doing something right; Yuuri sounded like she liked what Kurumi was doing.

"That's enough, Kurumi." Yuuri sounded a bit out of breath, but Kurumi wasn't really focused on the reason why. She was deep in thought about the inside of Yuuri's mouth. She didn't feel like she explored it enough when Yuuri pulled away from her, which made her a little bit disappointed. It was like a game; she had to explore every last place before she was satisfied. Kurumi opened her eyes to look at the face of her friend and was mildly surprised to notice that Yuuri's face was completely red. "I-What are you doing, Kurumi?"

"Increasing my girl power." And this time, Kurumi kept her eyes open. She wanted to see more of what this 'girl power' had to offer.

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 **...not really sure how to describe it other than this was my first attempt at a kiss scene (I think) and I'm not sure how good it was. I'll (probably) never write one again.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Setting is in high school, but with a chibi Rii-san? This is totally going to turn out well.**

 **Disclaimer: Don't own it still.**

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Kurumi awoke to a child's cry but she was too sleepy to deal with it during the night, so she drew the child close to her and held her until they both fell asleep. As much as she loved her friend, she really didn't want to assess a situation in the middle of the night. It's a wonder how Miki and Yuki managed to sleep through the racket that came with this situation.

"So you turned into a little kid." Kurumi was talking mostly for her own benefit but Yuuri nodded anyway.

"I can talk too!" Yuuri told her excitedly. "I'm kinda hungry, so can we go get breakfast?" Her eyes shone with such innocence that Kurumi had to look away in embarrassment. She was glad that Yuuri wasn't still panicking over being turned into a kid again, but she did wonder why it kept happening to her. However, she wasn't up to sitting around and thinking about it as she was getting hungry too, so she carried Yuuri to the Student Club room. Hopefully, Miki managed to cook something.

"Ooh! Puppy!" Yuuri looked at Kurumi. "The puppy is cute." She said in a very serious tone.

"Yes, yes. Taroumaru is cute. But you can't play with him until after you eat." Kurumi told her, setting her down on one of the chairs.

"Ta…ro…maru…" The little puppy barked at the sound of his name and Yuuri smiled brightly. "Taroumaru!" At this better pronunciation, Taroumaru left his empty food bowl and trotted over to Yuuri's chair. He whined and wagged his tail, clearly inviting her to play.

The little girl looked at her surroundings. Kurumi had joined Miki at whatever the younger girl was doing to make breakfast and the only other figure of authority was dozing off at the end of the table. No one would notice if she just got off her chair and played with the puppy for a little bit. Except that Kurumi had told her specifically not to play with the puppy until after she ate. She liked Kurumi. She would listen to her. "I can't play until after I eat." She told Taroumaru, and did her best to ignore it when he whined loudly at her response. "I have to be a good girl so …. won't hate me again." She whispered to herself.

Kurumi was relieved when she looked over her shoulder and saw Yuuri waiting patiently for food on top of her chair. Yuki could stand to learn a bit from Yuuri. Even at such a young age, she was waiting patiently. But it would be different soon, once Yuki smelled the scent of what they were making. Curry seemed to be the go-to dish to make when Yuuri couldn't be counted upon to make food. Plus it was relatively easy for even a child to eat, as the only utensil needed was a spoon.

"Where are you going?" Kurumi paused, her hand on the doorknob. Yuuri was looking at her from where she sat on the floor, hugging Taroumaru.

"I'm going on patrol." Kurumi felt more confident going on patrol as Miki was still in the club room. Even if she was reading a book, she wouldn't let Yuuri out of her sight if Kurumi asked her to.

"Then I'm going too." She got to her feet and walked over to where Kurumi was. "You'll take me with you, right?" Kurumi's heart would be made of stone if she didn't give in to Yuuri's request. But she was worried about letting her see the actual state of the school, beyond the part they were living in.

"I will, but you have to follow my instructions carefully." Yuuri saluted her instead of responding, so Kurumi continued. "If I tell you to run, run back here. Don't look back, just run."

"Okaay! I don't get it but okay!" Yuuri responded cheerfully, looking happy just to be allowed on the patrol with Kurumi.

Kurumi held Yuuri's hand as they walked down the hall to one of the barricades. Her shovel was in her other hand, and she forced herself to relax as not to startle the child. Still, Yuuri sensed the tension and kept quiet, though she looked at the broken glass of the windows and the stacked chairs and desks with a bit of surprised curiosity. Kurumi could hear one of them behind the barricade, but with Yuuri near her, she couldn't climb over and deal with it.

"Could you go back and see if there's water in the clubroom? I don't remember if we gave Taroumaru water for today." Yuuri gave her a questioning look.

"I'll go check then!" She waved and ran off, back down the long hallway to the clubroom. Kurumi was glad she remembered to bring a water bottle with her. She could take out the thing on the other side of the barricade and clean her shovel before Yuuri got back. She just needed to make sure her clothes didn't get dirty in the process.

Yuuri slid the door to the club room open and trotted over to where Taroumaru's bowl was. It had water in it, replacing the food that he had eaten earlier. "Okay, Taroumaru has water! Let's go back!" She knew there was something Kurumi didn't want her to see, as the only instruction had been to run when told to. She heard the noise that came from behind the barricade, and she didn't like it. She hoped it would be gone when she got back to Kurumi.

"I'm back!" Yuuri waved as she neared Kurumi. "Taroumaru already has water!"

"That's good. Now let's check the other side of the hallway." Kurumi told her, taking a hold of Yuuri's hand as they walked away from the barricade. Yuuri glanced back. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing!" Yuuri smiled. "This is fun! It's like a survival game or something!" Kurumi smiled back.

"Yeah. A survival game."

The other barricade was fortunately clear of any unwanted visitors, so Kurumi ended the patrol there and took Yuuri back to the club room. Miki was still reading her book, but Yuuri noticed that Taroumaru was missing. "I'll go find him!"

"I'll go with-" Kurumi stopped as Yuuri climbed onto her lap and covered her mouth with a tiny hand.

"I can find him, promise! I won't go near the big wall thing!" Kurumi looked helplessly at Miki, who shrugged. The girl had climbed down and headed to the door. Yuuri turned around to slide the door shut. "And down't follow me!" The sliding door shut and the tiny footsteps outside faded as Yuuri ran off to look for Taroumaru.

"Taroumaru! Come here, please! Taroumaru!" Yuuri was nearing one of the barricades and she turned away from it, not wanting to get too close to the structure. She considered looking out the windows to see if Taroumaru had gotten outside, but something told her not to. "Right, broken glass. Don't go there, 'cos it's sharp and it hurts." She hurried back along the hallway, calling for Taroumaru.

She stood at the base of the stairs to the rooftop. It was right next to the barricade that blocked the stairs heading down to the floor below. Slowly, she walked up the stairs, telling herself that she would only check if Taroumaru actually went up there. If he hadn't, she didn't want to go up there. Something made her scared to look on the rooftop. Yuuri opened the door a crack and peeked around it to see if Taroumaru had gotten up there. It didn't look like he had so she closed the door with a relieved sigh and went down more quickly than she had going up.

Yuuri went back to the club room in defeat. She couldn't find Taroumaru in any of the rooms she checked, which didn't include the classrooms as she believed class to be in session, if Yuki was any basis to go by. A happy whine greeted her on her return.

"He was in Yuki's classroom all along." Kurumi told her. "Making a nuisance of himself."

"Is that so? Geez, Taroumaru." She sat down next to the puppy and petted him. "Don't make trouble like that again, okay?"

"He's a real troublemaker, Rii-san. Just saying that won't help anyone." Kurumi almost laughed at the look of despair on Yuuri's face. Maybe the girl was imagining having to chase Taroumaru around the halls again tomorrow. "Anyway, has today been fun for you?"

"Yep! Lots of fun! I never thought I could run around this much without going to the hospital!" The words sounded familiar to Kurumi. A memory was rising in her head, an almost forgotten one, from her childhood, when life had been more about having fun than trying to survive. "Let's play a lot more tomorrow, Kurumi-chan!" She hadn't been called that in years, and couldn't stop the girl from leaving the club room again, except this time, Yuuri had no explanation for her leaving. She just smiled and waved to Kurumi before sliding the door shut. And Kurumi knew, somehow, that in a few minutes, Yuuri would walk back in without any clue as to how she managed to sleep until mid-afternoon.

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 **I think I forgot to say that in every story where the two are little kids, Yuuri has an illness that prevents her from doing any strenuous activity. So that's why she says what she does at the end.**


	11. Chapter 11

**This kinda takes place directly after the events in the previous chapters. (In a weird, not really make sense sort of way.)**

 **Disclaimer: Still don't own Gakkou Gurashi.**

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Kurumi leaned against the wall of the elementary school, waiting somewhat impatiently for her best friend. According to her watch, Yuuri should have shown up around ten minutes ago, and Kurumi knew her friend wasn't the type of person who would show up late to meetings. Normally, it was Kurumi who would show up late. But not today, since today was the entrance ceremony into elementary school. They were finally first graders, so Yuuri thought they should enter the ceremony together, which was the only reason why Kurumi was out and about so early. Except that Yuuri was still not here. Kurumi checked her watch again; it had only been a minute since she last checked.

"Kurumiii-chaaan! Sorry! I oversleptttt!" Yuuri panted as she came to a stop next to Kurumi.

"Even if you did, don't run all the way over here! You have to be careful, with your condition!" She only let herself relax once she made sure that Yuuri wasn't in any danger from the exertion of running. She sighed. "At least you didn't trip or get lost." Kurumi made a mental note to go by her friend's house the next day to make sure she was awake on time. She didn't think she needed to this one time since they were supposed to meet early, but now she made a note to walk her friend to school. It wouldn't hurt to make sure Yuuri didn't accidentally hurt herself as she was prone to doing. "But you're still ten minutes late." But she still had to be stern on her friend. They were first graders now. They had to be an example for all the younger kids.

"I know. I'm sowwy. But I had this really weird dream, Kurumi-chan!" Kurumi looked at her watch. The entrance ceremony would start in a few minutes and they still weren't in the auditorium yet!

"Okay, tell me about it later! We have to move, now!" Kurumi took Yuuri by the hand and dashed off to the auditorium. All of her previous mental ramblings about not letting Yuuri get hurt had gone out of her mind in the panic over getting to the ceremony on time.

The ceremony was fast enough as not to be considered boring, though why they even bothered having an entrance ceremony for the first-graders remained a mystery, as most of them weren't even paying attention. Kurumi was one of them. She didn't really like listening to adults drone on and on about a certain subject, and would have probably skipped the entrance ceremony altogether had it not been one of the things Yuuri was interested in. Though it seemed as if her friend was also not paying as close attention as Kurumi would have assumed she would. She wondered if it had anything to do with the weird dream Yuuri had mentioned earlier. It would have been far more interesting to listen to Yuuri than the principal of the school.

But of course, she wouldn't be able to talk to Yuuri until after school. Their homeroom teacher, Izayoi-sensei, organized the class according to the alphabetical order of their last names in romaji, following the English alphabet. This placed Kurumi near the front of the class and Yuuri near the back, too far to properly communicate without the teacher noticing. Kurumi perked up a bit when the teacher informed them that the alphabetical seating would not be permanent and that they would be allowed to choose their own seats in a few weeks time, once the teacher got to know them better. Until then, they would have to put up with the seating arrangements. Kurumi's happiness was short-lived as their teacher added that, even though it was the first day of school, they would have stay through the whole school day and meet all of their other teachers.

Finally, finally school was over. She could talk to Yuuri as they walked home together and ask her about the "weird dream".

"What was so weird about it that you overslept just to see the rest of it?" Kurumi asked, trying to phrase her question in a way that wouldn't guilt-trip her friend.

"It wasn't really that weird...just a bit different from normal 'cos you were so much older than me in that dream." Yuuri told her. "And you called me Rii-san!" Kurumi nodded.

"Rii-san, huh? It's a nickname, right?"

"Yeah! And that's not all! You were so cool and stuff!" She had never seen Yuuri that excited about something before. Even if it was her in the dream, she couldn't help feeling a bit jealous of that older Kurumi. "Like, you carried around a shovel and you patroled and everything!"

"What was I patrolling?" Kurumi questioned, just to keep Yuuri talking. Her friend was rarely this lively about anything.

"The hallways. You know what's weird? We were living in a high school, and on the third floor, with two other people! I don't remember them clearly though...but there was a puppy! His name was...his name was...uh…"

"If you can't remember, it's okay." Kurumi told her encouragingly.

"No, I know his name...Uh...I said it so many times in the dream...why can't I remember it…" Kurumi decided to distract her from thinking too deeply on it.

"Did you know why we were living at the school?"

"Huh?" Yuuri thought a little bit. "No, I didn't ask about it. It just seemed like such a normal thing in that dream, to be living at school. I kinda thought it was like a survival game, actually, since there was this huge wall-thing and weird monsters and stuff!"

"Really? I think it'd make a nice game to play. RPG-style." Kurumi mused. "But it's only a dream, so don't focus too much on it."

"Okaay! Besides, it's not like it'd happen anyway, right? It doesn't even seem real." Yuuri laughed a bit, now thinking of her dream as a figment of her imagination, something that would never happen.

"Right? Because it's all just a dream. Now let's go home." Kurumi said, taking her friend's hand again.

"Yeah! And we can play again tomorrow!"

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 **This was another on-the-spur story to be written. :D**


	12. Chapter 12

**And now for something random.**

 **Disclaimer: Still don't own Gakkou Gurashi.**

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"Here! Happy Birthday, Rii-san!" Kurumi proudly displayed the small mascot keychain to her friend. Yuuri's mouth dropped in surprise.

"It's supposed to be hard to get! How did you do it?!" Yuuri asked, taking it carefully from Kurumi's outstretched hand. The little squirrel figurine attached to the keychain was extremely adorable and she stared at it, transfixed.  
"I wrote lots of postcards." Kurumi boasted. "No big deal." Though her hand had ached for nearly an hour after she finished filling them out, she felt it was worth it to see Yuuri's bright smile. "So...do you like it?"  
"Yeah! Thanks a lot, Kurumi-chan!" Yuuri hugged Kurumi, causing the latter to blush slightly. "I'll hang it on my backpack so everyone at school can see it too!"  
Yuuri had classroom duty at school the next morning, so Kurumi walked to school alone. She didn't like waking up early, though she would have if Yuuri wanted her to come since she missed not walking next to her best friend more. "Maybe I should have walked with her anyway...What if Rii-san got hurt? No, it's been months since her last attack. She should be fine just walking to school…" It made her incredibly anxious, not being with Yuuri. She was sure Yuuri wouldn't appreciate knowing that Kurumi didn't believe in her ability to handle herself. Still, Kurumi couldn't shake off the feeling of anxiety until she walked into her classroom and greeted Yuuri, who was reading at her desk.  
Yet, something seemed off about her friend's behavior. She kept glancing at her backpack and at Kurumi, even in the middle of the lesson. Kurumi thought it was strange that Yuuri was not paying attention, since her friend always put so much emphasis onto their studying. Yuuri glanced at her again, then faced forward as if she hadn't been looking around at all. Kurumi doodled absent-mindedly in her notebook, more concerned about Yuuri's weird actions than about paying attention in class.  
"I have duty still so you can go home ahead of me, Kurumi-chan." Yuuri told her.

"It's fine. I can wait." Kurumi said. She was still a bit perplexed over Yuuri's behavior, plus she didn't want to go home alone. "By the way...where's the charm I got you?" It wasn't hanging on her backpack, which was weird since Yuuri had told her that she would hang it there.

"I-I left it at home...because I didn't want your present to get scratched or anything…" Yuuri said slowly.

"You don't need to worry about something like that! It's meant to be on your backpack! That's why I gave it to you!" So that's what Yuuri had been worried about. Kurumi felt proud that she had figured out her friend's worry. It was a very Yuuri-like thing to worry about, but she didn't need to keep a charm inside her room to protect it.

"I know that." Yuuri said, turning away from Kurumi. Her grip tightened on the broom and her shoulders shook, though Kurumi didn't understand why

"Rii-san? Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I just remembered, I have to go to the teacher's lounge after I clean up. Sorry, Kurumi-chan, but can you go home first and tell my parents?" Yuuri wasn't the type to get in trouble and chewed out by the teacher. It happened more often to Kurumi, and Yuuri always stuck around until she was finished. But Yuuri seemed to really want her to go home first, so Kurumi reluctantly obliged.

"Okay, but if you're not at your house in an hour, I'm coming right back here to get you!" She grinned at Yuuri's shocked expression, then headed out the classroom door and shut it behind her."Still...I should probably wait for her. She'd get mad if I stayed near where she was, but if I wait by the gate, then she won't see me until she gets out here!" Satisfied, Kurumi walked to the gate. On the way, she passed by a group of students from the other sixth grade classroom. She glanced in their direction, not particularly interested in what they were doing, then stopped dead in her tracks. Slowly, she looked again. The two tallest were tossing a small object back and forth between the two of them.

"Hey, how did you get that? I tried really hard for the contest, but I wasn't able to get it!" Playing cute was probably the hardest thing she had ever done, but she needed to keep her calm just in case they had gotten it the same way she had. Highly unlikely, since they were reputed bullies, but she couldn't just start fighting for no reason."There's an easier way of getting these things if you want one." Kurumi could barely stop herself from slapping the girl who answered her. She was a condescending suck-up, and she constantly talked down to Yuuri, even though Yuuri was obviously better than her in anyway.

"This thing? We took it off that Wakasa girl." The boy sneered. So that was it. Yuuri had been acting weird because she didn't want Kurumi to know it had been stolen from her. Kurumi laughed dryly.

"I see...So if I just take it from someone weaker than me, then I'd have it for myself. Is that right?" She was beginning to unnerve them with her laughter, that much she could tell.

"That's right. Tell you what, I'll give you this if you can get some money off a lower grade." He dangled the charm before her eyes. "Since you want it that much."

"No thanks." Kurumi snatched it before he could pull it away from her. "Who'd want to sink to your level?" To add oil to the fire, she stuck out her tongue and shoved the charm into her pocket. They were surrounding her, and the odds were definitely not in her favor. But she was pretty sure that these bullies were just the same as all the other ones she had fought and won against.

"Kurumi-chan! I told you to go-What happened to you?!" Kurumi struggled to focus on her friend; she couldn't see out of her left eye. "A black eye, scrapes all over your legs, bruises on your arms! Kurumi-chan!"

"Don't cry, Rii-san…" Kurumi said slowly. Her arm ached as she reached down into her pocket and pulled out the charm. "Look at what I got for you…" She grinned, but even that hurt. Yuuri looked, and hugged Kurumi tightly, sobbing

"Don't do that anymore! You could get in trouble, or injured, and I don't know which is worse!" Yuuri shouted, making Kurumi wince.

"You shoulda seen the other guys. I think one's in the hospital now." Kurumi said. "Besides, they were in the wrong for taking your stuff." She wrapped her arms around Yuuri and attached the charm to her backpack with a bit of difficulty. "Totally worth it."

Yuuri proceeded to not let Kurumi do anything more strenuous than lifting her backpack for the next couple days until her bruises healed and vanished, despite the protests and complaints Kurumi issued at the 'punishment'.

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 **I totally believe Kurumi could beat up a group of bullies by herself. Yep.**


	13. Chapter 13

**This time, it's a game of tag by the pool. Nothing can go wrong with that, right?**

 **Disclaimer: Still down't own it.**

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"Catch me if you can!" Kurumi shouted to her best friend as she wove through the sea of adults at the party. She was only five, yet her parents had brought her along to their adult party since they couldn't find a suitable person to watch her. And Yuuri had come too, just to keep Kurumi company until they could go home. As it stood though, she had started a game of tag with Yuuri, though it wouldn't be as much fun since it was only the two of them.

"W-Wait! Slow down!" Yuuri, a few months younger than her and not as energetic, panted as she filled her role as the chaser. Kurumi grinned and cleared the crowd of adults, wondering where she should head next. She shouldn't go too fast though, since it wouldn't be worth it to lose Yuuri among the adults, and going back inside the house would probably result in a game of hide-and-seek rather than tag. Glancing back, she saw that Yuuri was still stuck in the crowd and so she slowly looked around for a an area to run to. As she peered around the corner of the house, she saw a staircase leading up to a small hill that was part of the property the house stood on.

"There doesn't seem to be any adults up there...so more space to run. I'll just wait until Yuuri-chan can see me before I head up." She took the opportunity to sit and catch her breath until her friend struggled out of the adult sea.

"Over here, over here!" She called out, waving until Yuuri saw her and started coming. Kurumi couldn't suppress a grin as she turned and hurried up the steps next to the house. Now that she was at the top, she could re-enter the house from the second floor, follow the path further up the side of the hill, or go in the direction of the pool.

"K-Kurumi-chan…" Yuuri was panting heavily now as she climbed the steps after her friend. Kurumi considered her choices. Going inside the house would once again bring the possibility of hide-and-seek, a much more boring and passive game than she liked. Following the path upwards would almost guarantee that Yuuri wouldn't follow, nor did Kurumi really want to tire her friend out by forcing her up another climb. So she trotted off in the direction of the pool, minding her step as she made her way to the side opposite the stairs. Tiredly, Yuuri gave pursuit. Kurumi stayed put until Yuuri had almost reached her before dancing away.

Kurumi led Yuuri around the pool in such a manner for a couple of minutes, always staying just out of reach of her friend's grasp.

"So close!" She said, just commenting on Yuuri's attempts to catch her. She stepped backwards, feeling cheeky, and wondering if she should let Yuuri tag her so she could have a turn at being the chaser.

"Kurumi-chan, watch out!" And then she was falling sideways, into the deep end of the pool. "Kurumi-chan!" Kurumi struggled to the surface, gasping for air. She was starting to panic, as she had never gone into water deeper than her height without parental surveillance and now she was in ten feet deep water with the closest adults down the hill from where the two of them were. She flailed her arms, doing everything she could to stay on the surface. Her arms were not as strong as her legs, and her actions were only pushing her away from the side of the pool.

"Yuuri-chan! H-Help me!" Her head went under, and she pushed out at the water with her hands, desperately trying to get up. She looked up; Yuuri had vanished from the side of the pool. She hoped Yuuri was calling for help, otherwise she would drown in the pool.

"Kurumi-chan!" She had just touched the bottom of the pool, her clothes so heavy in the water that she almost thought it was a miracle that she had floated long enough to call to Yuuri. She cast her gaze upward as her vision began to blur.

"And the next thing I knew, Rii-san had pulled me out of the water." Yuki clapped, though Miki looked somewhat disappointed with the way Kurumi had almost died. "You guys have no idea. It was like as if a goddess came and saved me."

"Then what happened? Did you two continue playing?" Yuki asked.

"Of course not. That story Kurumi told you is all made up." Yuuri cut in, ignoring the face Kurumi made at her. "Now go to sleep. There's still class tomorrow."

"Okaaay…"

"In all seriousness though," Kurumi wasn't sure if Yuuri was still awake but she was aware of the other two being fast asleep next to her. "how did you manage to save me?"

"I didn't. I almost drowned right next to you. It just happens that I woke up before you did." Yuuri responded softly.

"Still a goddess." Kurumi could almost see the disapproving look on Yuuri's face and continued talking before the other girl told her to shut up and go to sleep. "And, I just want to let you know, it was totally worth almost drowning."

"Why's that?"

"Because it was the first of many times you (attempted) to protect me, and showed me that I wasn't the strongest, nor did I have to be. Thanks for putting up with who I used to be."

"Though I'd rather deal with that again than be in our current situation right now."

"True that." The conversation was over now, and Kurumi rolled onto her side in her sleeping bag. She missed those days, when everything had seemed hard but they really weren't. Not when compared to their now. But she was seriously glad that she still had her best friend with her despite all that they had gone through.

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 **Okay, so this was based of something that happened to me. Kind of. A little bit. I fell into the pool at my uncle's place once. Luckily, there were adults watching so I got pulled out before any harm was done.**

 **Review?**


	14. Chapter 14

**This is the only story that was written on the day it was set to be published. *applause***

 **Disclaimer: Don't own Gakkou Gurashi.**

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"Hey, Kurumi-chan, where are we going?" Yuuri asked, tugging on her best friend's sleeve to get her attention off the popcorn she was eating. They had been traveling for quite a while now, with Kurumi's father driving and her's in the passenger seat.

"Up a mountain! There's lotsa snow there right now!" Kurumi informed her excitedly. "Plus, we get to stay at a cabin! With a fireplace!"

"...yay?" Yuuri didn't know what was so great about a fireplace since her home had one already. Kurumi looked really eager, though, so she was willing to go along with her mood. Her friend returned her attention to the buttery snacks that still awaited her consumption, so Yuuri looked out the window at the cars they were passing on the freeway.

"We'll take care of unpacking and moving the things into the cabin. You two can go and play." Kurumi's father told them as he passed a heavy-looking suitcase to Yuuri's father.

"Okay!~" Kurumi cheered, clearly pleased to be let off to do whatever she wanted. Yuuri just took a few seconds to look at her surroundings. They were at the cabin that would be their lodging for the next day or so-Kurumi didn't tell her how long they were staying-and trees were thick on one side of it. The other side was the edge of the flat area the cabin was built on; they would have to keep their distance from it just to be safe. The closest town was back down the mountain a few miles, so the road was pretty empty. She didn't really see where they could play, but followed Kurumi eagerly when the more courageous child raced towards the trees.

"There's gotta be a clearing somewhere! The trees can't go on forever!" That was what Kurumi had told her when they were pushing their way into the snow covered forest. And she was right, though Yuuri would have considered their discovery of the large clearing a miracle. "What do you want to do first, Rii-san?" Yuuri let out a breath of air, marveling at how it was visible as steam before turning her attention to Kurumi's question.

"I think we could build a snowman together first. Since we have all this snow." Kurumi nodded.

"Sounds good! I'll make the head here. You go over there to make the body! Make it nice and big!"

"Okay!" Yuuri trotted off to the other end of the clearing, looking at the ground when her footsteps sounded different. But she was still walking on snow, which confused her as stepping on this snow sounded weird when compared to the ground she was walking on earlier. "Well, can't worry about it now. Got to make the body…" She looked around for a patch of snow to use as the center for her part of the snowman and got to work.

She got it to a pretty good size, nearly half of her own height. Taking a glance to see Kurumi's progress, she realized that the body would become the head if she didn't make it larger. It was a bit heavy now, and harder to push around. Nevertheless, she gave her best effort into making the ball of snow larger, so their snowman would be the size Kurumi wanted it to be. A crack broke through the silence the two girls had been working in. Yuuri glanced around, wondering what it could be. "...Kurumi-chan didn't seem to hear it…." She returned her attention to the snowman's body she was making.

"It's not getting any bigger...even though I'm still rolling it…" Yuuri stopped pushing the ball and knelt down next to it, brushing the thin layer of snow away. The light blue tinge of the ground confused her, as did the multiple lines originating from her position next to the snow ball. "Huh? This isn't snow…" She tapped the surface a couple times, watching with amused wonder as more cracks formed. She had a bit more fun with the weird surface before starting to stand up. "Gotta get back to work though."

She rolled the ball of snow around a little bit longer, pleased that it was growing slowly. Remembering the cracks that had formed on the strange surface when she tapped it, she herded her snow in that direction, wondering if even more cracks would form under a heavier weight. The cracks that formed from her action were larger in comparison to the ones she had created by tapping on it. She rolled the ball out a little further.

"Eh?" The ground beneath the snowball broke, sending her creation into the water. "No! I worked hard on that!" She jumped in without checking to see how deep the water was and instantly regretted her impulsive action. The water was freezing, and the snowball was so far gone that there was almost no point to her jumping in. She struggled to keep herself afloat-her winter clothes were working against her, pulling her down by their soaked weight-and her limbs were starting to numb. "Kurumi-chan!" She screamed, reaching to grab the edge of the hole she jumped in and staring in stunned horror when the surface broke away in her mittened hand.

"Rii-san?! Where are you?!" She heard Kurumi call back, sounding panicked. Of course Kurumi wouldn't be able to see her; she was somewhere lower than the ground she had just been standing on.

"Over here!" She tried to wave, but wasn't sure how far she managed to get her hand out of the hole.

"O-Okay! I'm coming, Rii-san! Don't move!" As if she could move, but Yuuri didn't say it out loud. She could barely make herself move enough to remain afloat. Her clothes were dead weight, and soon her limbs would be as well. She couldn't move them for much longer.

Somehow, Kurumi managed to pull her out of the hole she was in and onto solid ground, where the two of them lay panting side-by-side. "That was close." It was probably an understatement, but Yuuri couldn't think of anything else to say given their current situation.

"Yeah. But we need to get moving. You're still in danger." Kurumi looked extremely serious, which was rare given her normal personality. "Let's hurry back to the cabin. You need to take a bath, get a change of clothes, all that stuff. If not, you'll get sick." Yuuri nodded, but it turned into a sneeze halfway through. "See? It's already setting in." Kurumi got to her feet and tugged Yuuri up as well. Her clothing was also freezing over now, given their wetness and the cold of the surrounding air. Kurumi had to lead her back to the cabin, tugging and pushing at times to get her through the snowy landscape.

"Are you comfortable?" Yuuri nodded, tucked tightly under a large comforter. She had taken a bath and was ordered to rest in bed to prevent her cold from getting any worse than it already was. Kurumi watched her worriedly.

"I'm sorry Kurumi-chan...we were going to build the snowman together and then I…" She fell silent when Kurumi put her hand over her mouth. Yuuri looked at her best friend, confused.

"Your health is way more important than any snowman. We can make one together any time we want but it won't be together if you're not here with me." Kurumi leaned over and gently kissed Yuuri on her forehead. "So rest and feel better, okay?"

"Okay…" Kurumi smiled and stood up.

"While you rest, I'll go make something to help you feel better." Her eyes sparkled like she had some great idea, but Yuuri seriously hoped that if Kurumi intended to make something in the kitchen, she would get adult supervision. Not that she could say that aloud, since it would hurt Kurumi's feelings. Her friend walked away, closing the bedroom door behind her. Yuuri rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling. Maybe she would take a nap.

It seemed to be only five minutes later when Kurumi came pounding up the stairs and barged into her bedroom. "Rii-san, you have to come see this! Here, put on your jacket-and your shoes-and your hat-and-" She barely sat up in time to catch the heavy winter coat that was thrown at her and hastily put her arms through the sleeves, ignoring the fact that she was in pajamas. Luckily, Kurumi had the sense to not throw the shoes at her while she was in bed, though the hat did hit her in the face. "Ooh...sorry!"

"It's fine." Yuuri mumbled, but that didn't stop Kurumi from coming over and adjusting the hat on her head for her.

"Okay, perfect!" She was pretty sure she looked far from perfect. Yuuri still felt sleepy, and had only haphazardly put on outdoor clothes over her pajamas with Kurumi's help, if she could call her friend's half-hearted attempts helping. Nevertheless, she followed Kurumi down the stairs of the cabin and to the front door. "Look, Rii-san!"

Yuuri gaped at the snowman that was directly outside the front door. It was at least twice her size, maybe even more. She couldn't comprehend how Kurumi, who was around her height, managed to make something so large and still find enough time to decorate it. "Kurumi-chan, you…?"

"Yep! I made it! Well, I did get a little help, since the head was heavy...but do you like it?" Kurumi looked sheepish, as if embarrassed by showing off the snowman. "Ah! The one we make together is going to be larger than this though! So don't worry!"

"Larger...than this?" Yuuri repeated. "Isn't this one large enough?"

"No, no, no! This is a one-person effort, so a two-person effort has gotta be much bigger! It'll be fun!" Kurumi told her happily. "When you feel better, we can build it together!" Yuuri couldn't hold back her smile.

"Yeah...we'll do it together."

* * *

 **Okay, the mass upload is over now. Starting from here, the updates will be infrequent, depending on when I write them. :D**


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